Blues" emerged in the American South in places such as Mississippi where it was performed primarily by solo male artists who sang in a rough, unpolished vocal style and played acoustic guitar. As African-Americans traveled northward during the Great Migration in search of greater social and economic opportunities, they brought the genre with them. It took hold in northern cities, especially Chicago, where it was increasingly performed by both male and female artists. In subsequent decades, the genre became more popular and influential. However, as the instrumentation of the genre changed, male performers dominated the scene once more.