The Country Blues (Da Capo Paperback)

By Samuel Charters

Book Overview

From the field cries and work chants of Southern Negroes emerged a rich and vital music called the country blues, an intensely personal expression of the pains and pleasures of black life. This music--recorded during the twenties by men like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Bill Broonzy, and Robert Johnson--had all but disappeared from memory until the folk music revival of the late 1950's created a new and appreciable audience for the country blues.On of the pioneering studies of this unjustly-neglected music was Sam Charter's The Country Blues. In it, Charters recreates the special world of the country bluesman--that lone black performer accompanying himself on the acoustic guitar, his music a rich reflection of his own emotional life.Virtually rewriting the history of the blues, Charters reconstructs its evolution and dissemination, from the first tentative soundings on the Mississippi Delta through the emergence, with Elvis Presley, of rock and roll. His carefully-researched biographies of near-legendary performers like Lonnie Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Tampa Red--coupled with his perceptive discussions of their recordings--pay tribute to a kind of artistry that will never be seen or heard again. And his portraits of the still-strumming Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters, and Lightnin' Hopkins--point up the undying strength and vitality of the country blues.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306800144
• ISBN13: 9780306800146
• Release Date: August 1975
• Publisher: Da Capo
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Compelling History of the Blues

CONTENTS: * Preface to the 1975 Edition * Introduction to the 1959 Edition 1 - A Music "...Extraordinarily Wild and Unaccountable" 2 - "That Gives Me the Blues to go Back to Dallas" 3 - The Crazy Blues 4 - Blind Lemon 5 - "You Don't See Into These Blues Like Me" 6 - "...The Noisiest Damn Place in the World" 7 - Dr. Stokey, Dr. Benson, Dr. C.E. Hangerson 8 - The Memphis Jug Bands 9 - "Goin' to Kansas City" 10 - Leroy Carr 11 - The 14000's 12 - Blind Willie 13 - 'Big Bill Broomsley" 14 - "I Got the Bluebird Beat" 15 - 49, 51, 61 16 - Robert Johnson 17 - "Hey, Mama, Hey, Pretty Girl." 18 - Brownie Mcghee 19 - "The Mommies and Daddies from Coast to Coast" 20 - Muddy Waters 21 - Lightnin'

A charming glimpse of the lives of the country bluesmen

For anyone who is interested in the Blues and needs a starting point for information, this is the book. It is easy to read, very basic, yet charged with emotion. Charters shows great concern for the artists he portrays in this book. He doesn't cover a great deal of technical info, nor does he go into great detail about the artists and their music, however he is able to portray a charming overview of the lives and music of these bluesmen. If you are looking for a book with more specifics, THE BLUES MAKERS: AND SWEET AS THE SHOWERS OF RAIN by Sam Carters is a good choice. Also, be sure to read the introduction of both books - they clearly explain Charter's mission.