I was delighted to come across, recently, Nobody Knows Where the Blues Come From: Lyrics and History edited by Robert Springer (University Press of Mississippi, 2006). It's right up my alley, converging nicely with a fair amount of stuff relating to blues lyrics and history recently posted on Erik's Choice.
The Chapter Titles and Subtitles give a pretty good idea of what's inside this international collection of essays about the history and lyrics of blues music. Having just finished reading the whole book, I'll probably make a few pertinent observations in another post. Still absorbing.
HIGH WATER EVERYWHERE: Blues and Gospel Commentary on the 1927 Mississippi River Flood -- David Evans.
DEATH BY FIRE: African American Popular Music on the Natchez Rhythm Club Fire -- Luigi Monge.
LOOKIN' FOR THE BULLY: An Enquiry into a Song and Its Story -- Paul Oliver.
THAT DRY CREEK EASTON CLAN: A North Mississippi Murder Ballad of the 1930s -- Tom Freeland and Chris Smith.
COOLIDGE'S BLUES: African American Blues Songs on Prohibition, Migration, Unemployment, and Jim Crow -- Guido van Rijn.
ON THE ELECTRONIC TRAIL OF BLUES FORMULAS -- Robert Springer.
WEST INDIES BLUES: An Historical Overview, 1920s-1950s -- Blues and Music from the English-speaking West Indies -- John Cowley.
ETHEL WATERS: "Long, Lean, Lanky Mama" -- Randall Cherry.
Today's Rune: Wholeness.
1 comment:
Sounds pretty intersting. back in the early 90s I would have jumped at this book. I read a fair number of works about the blues and African American culture. I don't know when I'm likely to get back to that interest but this would be high on my list to read when I do.
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