April 7, 2000
Web posted at: 4:50 p.m. EST (2050 GMT)

(CNN) -- It's often an overlooked irony of music history: Blues musicians sowed the roots of rock'n'roll, but many of them never reaped the financial fruits of their talents.

Instead, while rock 'n' roll became the most dominant and profitable music genre of the 20th century, those influential blues acts struggled to pay their weekly bills.

But thanks to recent efforts by fellow musicians, that's changing.

Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal are among the musicians who are lending their support, their voices and their talents to musical charities that offer assistance to blues musicians who did not have the business know-how to create a viable income from their recordings.

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"Everyone in my record collection -- Sam and Dave, Marvin Gaye, all the Motown acts, Ruth Brown, all the legendary people from the '40s, '50s and '60s -- have still never received any royalties," said Raitt, "because they still owe money."

This week, World Beat checks in on how these charitable organizations -- including the Music Maker Relief Foundation, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Blues Heaven Foundation -- are helping musicians like Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, Bo Diddley and countless others whose gifts are long-overdue for reciprocation.