Blues musician Henry “Mule” Townsend was born on this day in 1909. Here’s his musical tribute to the town in Illinois where he grew up: “Cairo Blues.”

Ed Kilgore

Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.