I'll second Pan's suggestion regarding listing to Mississippi John Hurt and John Miller's instructional DVD lessons at Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop.

http://www.guitarvideos.com/Artists/john-miller/the-guitar-of-mississippi-john-hurt-vol-1#

http://www.guitarvideos.com/Artists/john-miller/the-guitar-of-mississippi-john-hurt-vol-2#

Although I haven't seen them, I suspect that Stefan Grossman's Level 1/2 fingerpicking lessons would be worth while as well. He's been at it a long time. There's some overlap with John's lessons re: songs covered, but it's always good to see how two (or more) people approach teaching the same material:

http://www.guitarvideos.com/Products/Instructors/stefan-grossman-1/fingerpicking-guitar-techniques-2-dvd-set#

http://www.guitarvideos.com/Products/guitar-workshop-instructional-dvds/fingerpicking-country-blues-guitar#

bluesimages.com
Track Listings:
(1) Got The Blues • B.B. King
(2) Blood Thirsty Blues • Victoria Spivey
(3) Baby Keeps Stealing   Lovin' On Me • Mississippi Sheiks
(4) Howling Tom Cat Blues • Bo Carter
(5) Days Is Lonesome • Texas Alexander with the Mississippi Sheiks 
(6) Ain't Gonna Stand For That • Charlie Spand
(7) I’m Gonna Move To  Louisiana – Part 1 and Part 2 • Jim Jackson 
( Ashley St. Blues • Leola B. Wilson with Blind Blake
(9) Bad Luck Blues • Blind Lemon Jefferson
(10) She’s Making Whoopee In Hell Tonight • Lonnie Johnson
(11) Shave ’Em Dry • Bessie Jackson
(12) Read Your A B C’s • Mississippi Sarah and Daddy Stovepipe
(13)   Life Is A Cheater – Irma Records Demo [Unreleased] • Juke Boy Bonner
(14) Life Is A Cheater – Music City Records Demo [Unreleased] • Juke Boy Bonner
(15) I Got Hip To It – Irma Records Demo [Unreleased] • Juke Boy Bonner
(16) Tillie Lee • William Moore
(17) Dying Blues • Leola B. Wilson with Blind Blake
(18) Come On Babe • Blues Boy Bill
(19) Little Boy Blue • Blues Boy Bill
(20) It’s Hard Time • Joe Stone
(21) Back Door Blues • Joe Stone
(22) Back To Mississippi • Mississippi Sheiks

Thanks for posting the link, Lindy. She's definitely worth more than a few minutes of our time.

This obit is worth a few minutes of your time . . .

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/arts/music/beverly-watkins-dead.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Obituaries

Hi all,
It looks as though everyone who intended to respond to the puzzler on Lawyer Houston's "Been In The Army Since 1941" has done so, so I will post the answers now.

For Lawyer "Soldier Boy" Houston's "Been In The Army Since 1941":
   * His playing position was E position in standard tuning, as Dave and Old Man Ned had it.
   * As he begins the song, Lawyer Houston is hitting a IV note in the bass.  Playing in E position in standard tuning, that would be an A note, which he hit on the open fifth string.  One of the peculiarities of the song is that pretty much from beginning to the end of his rendition, he hits that IV note on the downbeats of measures, going to the open sixth string I note for weaker beats.
   * At the beginning of his guitar interlude, at 1:50, Lawyer Houston is hitting a bVII note in the bass, D, and getting it on the open fourth string.  It's apparent that his strategy for the body of the song was simply to hit open strings in the bass on the sixth, fifth and fourth strings, and reserve fretting for melodic passages only.  This approach also made it possible for Houston to free-hand everything in the left hand and avoid playing and holding down chords in the left hand altogether.
   * It is true, as everyone had it, that Lawyer Houston never hits a IV or V chord in the course of the rendition.

Lawyer Houston's rhythmic feel is different than that of R. L. Burnside, but the droniness of his approach and almost complete lack of chordal information is similar to that of Burnside and other Hill Country players.  Houston was from Texas, I believe, and Lil' Son Jackson's sound in DGDGBE tuning also somewhat anticipated the Hill Country sound.  It's entirely possible that the Hill Country sound was already happening in the late '40s or early '50s, but just didn't get recorded much, though John Lee Hooker and Dr. Ross both anticipated that sound, too, and were from Mississippi.  And I would guess that Fred McDowell was already playing with that kind of sound, too, at that time.

Thanks to those who participated in the puzzler, and I hope folks enjoyed the song.
All best,
Johnm