Monday, October 25, 2010

Nobody Knows Where the Blues Come From



















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:

Charles Gramlich said...

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.