Early Downhome Blues-1st

by Jeff Todd Titon

Book Overview

Hailed as a classic in music studies when it was first published in 1977, "Early Downhome Blues" is a detailed look at traditional country blues artists and their work. Combining musical analysis and cultural history approaches, Titon examines the origins of downhome blues in African American society. He also explores what happened to the art form when the blues were commercially recorded and became part of the larger American culture. From forty-seven...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252007786
• ISBN13: 9780252007781
• Release Date: January 1977
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Definitive Work on the Real Roots Blues

Before the blues became a simple repetitive twelve bar pattern with its five note scale that anyone with a guitar could play after a few weeks of practice, it was a folk art form with few restrictions or limitations. Although these recordings are still available (thank God!), few people are aware of them or have made a faithful study of them; and this in spite of the Scorsese Blues series and the exhortations of Jack White and other guitarists. Blues musicians before the second world war played a rich variety of musical styles: Some originals unique to the individual artist that served to express personal matters along with a repertoire of songs and music whose purpose was to entertain and make a little money or earn some food. The prewar blues is a rich musical tradition full of gems and treasures for the music lover who delves into the recorded history that is still available. The early recorded music of Skip James, Son House, Charlie Patton, Willie Brown, Robert Johnson and many others whose names are buried under the dust of the decades is guaranteed to stun the listener who thought the blues was Willie Dixon or Muddy Waters. This book is the only book to illuminate the past and dig into the people, places, times and circumstances, and especially, the blues music that we love. This book gets at the roots of it and sheds light on the nuances that have been lost. It contains the best transcriptions available anywhere and takes the step of deriving a description of styles and practices employed in these quintessential blues songs. I consider it essential reading for anyone--especially musicians--who love this music. If you need to track down the original songs, the author used to have a CD available; but you can also try the excellent Document Record Company in the UK who still stock many fantastic originals.