By 1930, Broonzy was recording extensively and had developed a distinctive guitar style, choking his notes and hammering on the strings to a swinging beat. Although his 1930s recordings had a jazzy sound and included a small band accompaniment, they still had a hint of country-style. He wrote more than 300 tunes, including
the blues
standard “Key to the Highway,
” but received little compensation from dishonest producers. Some of his numbers were protest songs, including “If You're...