The grand era of the Mississippi Riverboats played a significant role in the development and spread of jazz from New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century. A young Louis Armstrong received valuable musical training working in dance bands aboard excursion steamboats run by John Strekfus, the man most responsible for developing the connection between dance music and riverboats on the Mississippi.

It is said that Jazz Age cornetist Bix Beiderbecke heard his first live jazz coming from steamboats docked alongside the wharf in his native river town of Davenport, Iowa. And river towns St. Louis and Memphis have had strong associations with jazz and blues.