Turner describes her experiences with popular music of the 1920s and 1930s. Beginning with a description of a man she encountered on a train bound for Memphis, Turner talks about the Mississippi Blues, explaining that she first heard it when she was visiting Meridian, Mississippi. According to Turner, Mississippi Blues was very distinct to its region, which she asserts by drawing comparisons to popular music as it was performed in Durham, North Carolina. Throughout, Turner draws intersections between race and popular culture.