Arguably the most significant figure in the development of the Delta country blues, Charley Patton also wielded enormous influence over the sound and structure of the genre through his extraordinary guitar playing and peerless sense of rhythm. A major music star in the American South throughout the ‘20s, Patton brought not only true showmanship with his electrifying live performances but also powerful vocal delivery, slide guitar work and propulsive rhythm—driven by his feet or hands—that informed several generations of blues players, from Robert Johnson to The White Stripes.