Genres like Jazz really took off amongst blacks all over in America. Blues, however, wasn’t as popular with Blacks all over. Many African American, especially in the North, felt that they had moved past the times that the Blues represented. The Blues depicted the struggle and suffering akin to slavery. Those in the North felt themselves to be above that , so Blue did not take off with them.
nHowever, White people and Blacks in the South loved the Blues. Many in the South were still living and working in conditions that were very reminiscent of Slave times. Segregation was still very much a thing and many Blacks still worked on plantations as sharecroppers. Things had not changed much for those in the south , so music like the Blues still resonated for them.
The Blues and folk music were brothers. They were both birthed from the same pain and struggle. Many of the first Blues recordings came from Black prisoners. They often sung works songs and labored for hours in chain gangs . Producers like John H. Hammod would go around recording these songs and interviewing Black prisoners. So the Blues and Folk music are one in the same.