It's not a joke; these are real blues musicians, some of them (Joe Louis Walker, Donald Kinsey, David Honeyboy Edwards, Otis Clay, Pinetop Perkins) quite well known. And yes, the blues has often had to struggle and compromise to reach a wider audience.
At its peak, the program offered up to 99 weeks of coverage. It's been scaled down gradually ever since. Two states with high unemployment, Illinois and Nevada, had offered 73 weeks of benefits. California had offered 63 weeks, and most others offered 43 to 63 weeks.
Illinois: (Maximum benefit of $418 per week.) During any week in which you earn more than 50 percent of your weekly benefit rate, Illinois will reduce your benefits. For example, as of 2010, if your benefit is $300, earning more than $150 will trigger the benefit reduction.