I was fortunate to have spent three years studying blues guitar with Ian Buchanan. Ian took lessons from such masters as Blind (Reverend) Gary Davis and Brownie McGhee in the 1950s.
Ian attended Antioch College and was befriended by another student named Jorma Kaukonen who expressed interest in the fingerpicking Delta Blues Ian played. So Ian taught him what he had learned, as he taught me fifteen years later.
As a result of Ian Buchanan and Jorma Kaukonen attending Antioch at the same time, Hot Tuna came to be. Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, of Jefferson Airplane, branched off to form Hot Tuna in 1969.
I kept my lesson tapes. There are some gems on those tapes.
Here's Blind Gary Davis doing Hesitation Blues...
And Ian Buchanan, as heard on my lesson tape...
Here's Hot Tuna doing Hesitation Blues in 1970...