How did rural Delta blues differ from Chicago blues?

The roots of Chicago blues are found in the Delta blues, an acoustic, rural style that originated in Mississippi. While Chicago blues inherited many techniques from the Delta tradition—such as the use of slide guitar, vamps, and call-and-response patterns—the two styles differ significantly in instrumentation, performance setting, and sound.1

• Instrumentation: Delta blues was primarily a solo art form featuring a singer-guitarist. In contrast, Chicago blues is performed by an ensemble, incorporating electric guitar, drums, harmonica, piano, and bass.1
• Technology: To be heard in crowded urban nightclubs and on noisy city streets, Chicago blues musicians utilized amplifiers and microphones, which introduced a signature gritty distortion to the music.1
• Environment: Delta blues was born in rural settings like plantations and juke joints. Chicago blues emerged as Southern musicians migrated to Northern cities during the Great Migration, adapting their sound to the high-energy, industrial atmosphere of urban centers like Chicago.123