<P> Other notable musicians on the 1950s blues scene were the singers Alberta Adams and singer / guitarists Doctor Ross, Baby Boy Warren, Johnnie Bassett, Sylvester Cotton, Andrew Dunham, Calvin Frazier, Mr. Bo (Louis Collins), John Brim and Louisiana Red; percussionist Washboard Willie; harmonica players Big John Wrencher, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Sonny (Willis), and Grace Brim (who also sang and played drums); and pianists Joe Weaver and Boogie Woogie Red . Also of note were singer Johnnie Mae Matthews and singer / guitarist Bobo Jenkins, both of whom started their own labels, Northern Records and Big Star Records, respectively . </P> <P> It was the emergence of local record labels in Detroit in the 1940s and 1950s which helped the blues scene to flourish, compared to the 1920s, when blues artists generally emigrated to Chicago to record their music . Some small labels, including Staff, Holiday, Modern, and Prize Records, only existed for a brief time, while other labels experienced greater success . The most prominent of the Detroit - based labels from this era was Fortune Records, and its subsidiary labels Hi - Q, Strate 8 and Blue Star, which ran from 1948 to 1970 . Fortune released hundreds of recordings in many genres, including tracks by Hooker, Kirkland, Jenkins, Dr. Ross and Maceo Merriweather . </P> <P> Another important Detroit label from the period was Sensation Records, started by John Kaplan and Bernard Besman . In 1948, Besman recorded Hooker's seminal "Boogie Chillen" and ran the artistic side of the label until its demise in 1952 . Local entrepreneur Joe Von Battle was another key figure on the blues scene; in the back of his record shop on Hastings Street he recorded a number of blues acts that appeared on his JVB and Von record labels . </P> <P> The entertainment districts of Hastings Street and Paradise Valley were razed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the victims of urban renewal programs . This loss of music venues, along with the rise of Motown in Detroit and the popularity of Rock and roll, led to the eventual demise of the Detroit blues scene in the late 1960s . Many Detroit - based musicians pursued their careers on tour elsewhere in the world, leaving only a few noteworthy artists to carry on the tradition . Among them were The Butler Twins, Clarence (guitar and vocals) and Curtis (harmonica), who emigrated to Detroit from Alabama in 1961, joining a long list of blues forebears who came to work in the automotive industry . Another transplant was the former Classic female blues singer Sippie Wallace, who had moved to Detroit in 1929, but did not resume her blues singing career until 1966 . </P>

Cited the industrialism of detroit as a major influence