Editing Blind Blake (section)

==Early life==
Little is known of Blake's life. Promotional materials from [[Paramount Records]] indicate he was born blind and gave his birthplace as [[Jacksonville, Florida]], and it seems that he lived there during various periods. He may have had relatives in [[Patterson, Georgia]]. Some authors have written that in one recording he slipped into a [[Geechee]] (Gullah) dialect, suggesting a connection with the [[Sea Islands]]. [[Blind Willie McTell]] indicated that Blake's real name was Arthur Phelps, but later research has shown this is unlikely to be correct.<ref name="Balfour">Balfour, Alan. CD liner notes. ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order'', vol. 4, ''August 1929 to June 1932''. DOCD–5027. Document Records, 1991.</ref> In 2011, a group of researchers led by Alex van der Tuuk published various documents regarding Blake's life and death in the journal ''Blues & Rhythm''. One of these documents is his 1934 death certificate, which states he was born in 1896 in [[Newport News, Virginia]], to Winter and Alice Blake (his mother's name is followed by a question mark).<ref name=Tuuk>{{cite journal |last1= Van der Tuuk |first1= Alex |last2= Eagle |first2= Bob| last3= Ford| first3= Rob |last4= LeBlanc |first4=Eric |last5= Mack |first5=Angela |date= October 2011 |title= In Search of Blind Blake: Arthur Blake's Death Certificate Unearthed |journal= Blues & Rhythm |volume= 263 |pages= 8–10 |url=https://sundayblues.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/BR263-Blind-Blake.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://sundayblues.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/BR263-Blind-Blake.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> Nothing else is known of Blake until the 1920s, when he emerged as a recording musician.