From charley patton to robert cray by davis, francis and a great selection of related books. Yet, children rarely learn all the lyrics originally intended in the song, as some of those were incredibly racist and deeply offensive. Francis daviss the history of the blues is a groundbreaking rethinking of the blues that fearlessly examines how race relations have altered perceptions of the music. His books include the king on the road produced in cooperation with the elvis presley estate at graceland, the acclaimed biography cant be satisfied. Tracing its origins from the mississippi delta to its amplification in chicago right after world war ii, davis argues for an examination of the blues in its own right, not just as a precursor to jazz and. Featuring over 200 vintage photographs and a new introduction by the author, the engaging, informative volume brings to life the african american singers and players who created this rich genre of music as well as the settings and experiences that inspired them. Learn more about the history of blues, soul and rock and roll with music books and publications from bluescentric. Tracing its origins from the mississippi delta to its amplification in chicago right after world war ii, davis argues for an examination of the blues in its own right, not just as a precursor to jazz and rock n. May 11, 2015 early blues songs were sung by slaves, exslaves, and their descendants. The best way to understand the blues is to visit our blues videos page and watch and listen to the. Dec 18, 20 the first book specifically about british pop culture, published in 1970, is a fabulous period piece. A history of the events and people who defined the mississippi blues. While the blues often deal with personal adversity and sadness.
The author deftly traces the evolution of the blues from the work songs of slaves, to acoustic country ballads, to urban sounds, to electric rhythm and blues bands. One of the most collectible of these is amiri barakas blues people 1963, written under the name leroi jones, the first modern blues book by an african american. The list starts with general books of the blues essential reading, followed by blues artists in alphabetical order, interjected with blues books on particular themes. All life, and all music, can be analyzed by an examination of its genomic structure.
May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. What are the best books about the history of blues music. Blues, secular folk music created by african americans in the early 20th century, originally in the south. With earthly animal life forms, the chromosomes that help determine shape, character, colors, mind and emotion. Complete summary of francis davis the history of the blues. For this cd reissue in his series of books, ervin and his quintet with trumpeter carmell jones, pianist gildo mahones, bassist richard davis, and drummer alan dawson perform four very different blues. He believes that attempts to discover the origins of the blues, often bas. The blues book is an album by american jazz saxophonist booker ervin featuring performances recorded in 1964 for the prestige label. The simple but expressive forms of the blues became by the 1960s one of the most important influences on the development of popular music throughout the united states.
Oliver vividly recreates the economic, social, and regional forces that shaped the unique blues tradition, and superbly details every facet of the music, including themes and subjects, techniques, and recording history. Blues is a musical art form with its own distinct musical progressions and much more. Santellis wide definition of blues music includes styles from folk to rock. It was initially a folk music popular among former slaves living in the mississippi delta, the flat plain between the yazoo and mississippi rivers. The blues has deep roots in american history, particularly africanamerican history. In 1920, mamie smith was the first african american to record blues music. The consistently passionate ervin makes each of the fairly. The blues means a lot of things to a lot of people. Blues history blues is an american heritage, and it should be noted as such. The negro experience in white america and the music that developed from it. The blues is a genre of music that has deep roots in american culture, particularly in the south. This is the ultimate reference book for blues lovers a comprehensive biographical encyclodpedia, with more than 600 entries profiling every important blues artist from bessie smith to koko taylor, charlie patton to robert cray, blind willie mctell to stevie ray vaughan.
The blues form, ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues and rock. But, it was not until the early 1900s when scott joplin published maple leaf rag and victor records recorded camp. Blues is very heartfelt and does not involve the rigidities of classical music or the showiness of the metal, rock and pop genres of music. Although written to accompany a threepart series on pbs, this book is more substantive than most tv tieins. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as cds or access codes. The blues originated on southern plantations in the 19th century. The book is more remarkable, however, as an incredible pictorial and documentary history of the blues with more than 300 illustrations including recording contracts, rap sheets, and historic photos of the performers themselves. The history of blue circle by pugh, peter and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. History books, famous historians, historical biographies, nonfiction,buy history books, famous biographies, learning about the past, history books for purchase, biographies. The history of the blues by francis davis abebooks. Blues is a music genre and musical form which was originated in the deep south of the united states around the 1870s by africanamericans from roots in african musical traditions, africanamerican work songs, and spirituals. From its roots in the turnofthecentury honkytonks of new orleans and the barrelhouses and plantations of the mississippi delta to modern legends such as john lee hooker and b. The story of the blues began in northwestern mississippi in the late 1800s.
Urban blues had a more aggressive sound than classic blues. A visual history charts the development of the blues from its rural roots in the american south, through the bluesrock revival of the 1960s, to the blues music of today. The first book specifically about british pop culture, published in 1970, is a fabulous period piece. There are many fine books on the blues, so i thought i would share with you my recommendations. The book is more remarkable, however, as an incredible pictorial and documentary history of the blues with more than 300 illustrations including recording. Oliver vividly recreates the economic, social, and regional forces that shaped the unique blues tradition, and superbly details every facet of the music, including themes and. The author deftly traces the evolution of the blues from the work songs of slaves, to acoustic country ballads, to.
The book is more remarkable, however, as an incredible pictorial and documentary history of the blues with more than 300 illustrations including recording contracts. Although this was an important mark in the blue s history, the real recording that opened up many doors for the rising demand for this genre of music was in 1920 when mamie smith. Lower east sidebased beat poet published a book titled blues people. Marine corps first female strike fighter pilot to earn wings of gold. Each entry gives the essential biography, characterizes the artists style and musical contributions to the blues. Focusing on the key musicians and singers who have brought the form recognition worldwide with profiles and playlists of 50 key figures this. The blues form is characterized by a callandresponse pattern. List of books and articles about blues music online. Francis daviss the history of the blues is a groundbreaki.
Early blues musicians would sing a line and their guitar would answer. Francis davis, the history of the blues if youre only going to read one book on the blues, make it this one. Born in memphis, consulting editor robert gordon is one of the worlds most highly respected blues historians. Oliver is one of the most respected and prolific writers on blues history and this is a very readable overview of the origins and evolution of blues in. This book by davis does a pretty good job of tracing the chronological development of the blues, although it is weak on context and the last few chapters are. That was because i looked through the book thoroughly and already had 9095% of the records they recommend and didnt need to know more about them.
Blues is one of the most soulful forms of music and you should learn blues guitar book of history of which there are many. Bob stanleys 10 best music histories books the guardian. King, the blues comes alive here through accounts by the blues musicians themselves and those who knew them. Melly was on the outside, as a jazzman, but observed the rise of modern pop with interest. The blues book 1964 the space book 1964 the blues book is an album by american jazz saxophonist booker ervin featuring performances recorded in 1964 for the prestige label. Learn blues guitar book of history for insights to the blues. Here komara and johnson answer the question of not only what is a blues book, but which ones are worth owning. It was laughing song which was recorded by george w. Learn blues guitar book about the history of the styles of. It is speculated that the term may have come from the term blue devils, meaning melancholy and sadness. Sep 26, 2018 ive been working on the railroad may just be one of the bestknown folk songs about the u.
In 1908, antonio maggio published the first blues sheet music titled i got the blues. One suggestion would be to start with a book like leroi jones. Lovatos system of blues guitar instruction, built on his lifetime of teaching, can bring musicians of any level to a rewarding and creative lifelong. As baraka is a poet and black militant, this book is pursued by collectors of several categories. As more blacks were moving to urban areas like chicago, the urban blues genre was born. Over its 25year history, music maker has helped more than 400 artists, most of them in the latter stages of life. Even though the origins of the blues is widely recognized as dating back to the early days of slavery, the first published work that attempted to archive the music of the slaves was slave songs of the united states published in 1867. Davis, music critic for the atlantic, treats the history of the blues with an emphasis on his own involvement with this music. Tracing its origins from the mississippi delta to its amplification in chicago right after world war ii, davis argues for an examination of the blues in its own right, not just as a precursor to jazz and rock n roll. Louis blues, is coming in time for the holidays and is available now for presale. From charley patton to robert cray by davis, francis and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A musical and cultural history of the mississippi delta by robert palmer, escaping the delta.
Jan 09, 2009 mix gary moore story of the blues live youtube. Jan 24, 2016 in an interview with chicago blues musician dave specter he recalls a recanting of a conversation, during this time in blues history, between bb king and buddy guy on how the blues has lost favor with the african american communities and it seems that their concerts were mainly white rock fans. Handy, the african american leader of a dance orchestra, got stuck waiting for a train in the hamlet of tutwiler, mississippi. The book covers the history of the guitar and of the blues, including a personal appreciation of the great musicians who have shaped the genre and created such an aweinspiring legacy.
Feb 24, 20 the first book on the blues that id recommend is the penguin guide to blues recordings by tony russell and chris smith. This essay, mapping the blues genes, explores the first three decades of the printed history of early blues music. A history of the blues as explained in the preface, this book was originally published in connection with a documentary film series made for bbc television in 1976. Its inventors were slaves, exslaves and the descendants of slavesafricanamerican sharecroppers who sang as they toiled in the cotton and vegetable fields. From james mcphersons definitive history to tony horwitzs adventures among obsessives, here are the 11 best books on the civil war in time for the. Jan 01, 1995 francis daviss the history of the blues is a groundbreaking rethinking of the blues that fearlessly examines how race relations have altered perceptions of the music. Cohn, a grammy awardwinning blues producer, brings together eleven essays on the development of the blues from its beginnings, marshalling some of the best writers on the subject.
History made, an exclusive, commemorative book chronicling the 2019 stanley cup champion st. Tracing its origins from the mississippi delta to its amplification in chicago right after world war ii, davis argues for an examination of the blues in. The song is pervasive and the words are a favorite among recordings aimed at children. Oct 19, 2017 learn blues guitar book of history for insights to the blues blues is one of the most soulful forms of music and you should learn blues guitar book of history of which there are many.
All i can say is that if the series was as entertaining and educational as oakleys book and i am sure it must have been, i deeply regret not having been able. Most music that you hear today has some form of blues in it. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads. He is the author of the acclaimed books outcats and history of the blues and a biography of john coltrane knopf. The country blues is a seminal book by samuel charters, published in 1959 and generally. During prohibition, musicians played the urban blues in honky tonks, bars that illegally served alcohol. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Although this was an important mark in the blues history, the real recording that opened up many doors for the rising demand for this genre of music was in 1920 when mamie smith. Blues music started to become available to the public in 1895 with the first recorded blues song. They were grateful for their newfound success, but. This ambitious biographical encyclopedia delivers the goods, listing over 600 entries from every era and style of the blues. If it wasnt for the blues there wouldnt be any rock and roll, country, rap, pop, or jazz. Blues is also important for african american culture. Another popular category of blues book is the history or survey.
1376 1524 647 924 352 1323 670 388 1580 819 487 1515 1476 1139 1445 810 342 1529 653 424 945 138 447 521 108 399 1396 669 1101 1232 67 223 1338 334 1195 93 1356