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The blues are a form of country, and they are rooted in the Mississippi Delta and Memphis, so I'm going with Memphis.
Country music has had blues elements in it--along with with elements of jazz in Western Swing and Bluegrass, but the blues is definitely not an offshoot of country music. Country music is really a mix of the old Scotch-Irish folk music of the Appalachians and some of the more lowland blues and gospel influences and in some places like Texas there was the influence of cowboy ballads and Mexican folk music of the Southwest. But hell, Jimmy Rodgers was influenced by Swiss yodelers and the lap steel guitar was from Hawaiian music so there's a lot of influences in country...
One city that is probably the strongest after Nashville is not on the list because its not a major city. Shreveport.
The LOUISIANA HAYRIDE was broadcast from there from 1948 to 1960 and stars included Hank Williams, Faron Young, and introduced ELVIS to the world. Many bars and clubs the city, with its smaller sibling Bossier City, were destinations for many stars and groups (some who weren't really country).
From what I was told, the singers and groups would come onstage, play a song and depart from left to right just as the next act was coming on. This took place even during the daytime during the week. My Dad and his friend Bill would go see the stars during their lunch hour and both saw Elvis before he became a star. My Dad told Bill "That boy'll never make it" After that, when Elvis became a star, my Dad's friend Bill used to tell him "you're the one who said Elvis would never make it" We laughed about that for years.
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