Complex sentence: He travelled widely in the Deep South in the 1930s and 1940s, and around 1937, in Knoxville, Tennessee, he played the washboard while backing Brownie McGhee.
Split into simpler sentences: He travelled widely in the Deep South in the 1930s and 1940s. Around 1937, in Knoxville, Tennessee, he played the washboard accompanying Brownie McGhee.