The fifth issue of Tributaries covers several folklore topics including legendary figures. Four essays on blues music feature Vera Ward Hall, Willie Earl King, Butler May, and Butler County blues.
This
special thematic issue focuses on Alabama’s contribution to the blues genre:
"The Life and Death of Pioneer Bluesman Butler ‘String Beans’ May by Doug
Seroff and Lynn Abbott; "Butler County Blues," by Kevin Nutt;
"Tracking Down a Legend: The ‘Jaybird’ Coleman Story" by James
Patrick Cather; "A Life of the Blues" by Willie King, with photo
essay by Axel Kustner; "Livingston, Alabama, Blues: The significance of
Vera Ward Hall" by Jerrilyn McGregory;" and "Chasing John Henry
in Alabama and Mississippi" by John Garst plus reviews of two CDs, The
Traditional Musics of Alabama, Vol. I and Alabama: From Lullabies to Blues.