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.
After three months in a trainee title, appointments are made to the position of Correctional Officer in a probationary period for four and one half months, where their respective salary becomes $45,816. The State of Illinois provides employees with health and dental insurance with a small co-payment from employees. Life insurance is provided at 100 percent your annual salary. Benefit time for starting employees includes: