The Promise of the Blues: A Historical Novel

By Anthony Proveaux

"In 1930 an African American reporter for the influential black-owned newspaper the Chicago Defender travels back to racist Mississippi to find the mysterious Delta Blues musicians who have recently become popular recording artists in the 'race records' market." African American history and the blues are deeply interwoven into the fabric of America. But unfortunately, those quintessential American stories have often been overshadowed by other histories. "The Promise of the Blues," set in the Mississippi Delta and Chicago in 1930 and the decades prior, is a historical novel that explores an important yet troubled chapter in African American history in the United States. Central to that history is the emergence of a radical new African American artform called "the Blues," which had a profound impact on American popular music and modern society. But the book is about much more than the hard times often sung about in blues songs. It is also a story of triumph over adversity, and a rousing and entertaining adventure tale and road-trip story, with a cast of complex and colorful characters. The novel journeys deep into the exciting and hidden world of blues culture found in the juke joints, blues clubs, recording studios, rail stations and street corners, during the early years of the blues. Beginning in the 1920s, for the first time in American history black entertainers became stars and role models. The book follows the careers and exploits of many legendary Mississippi Delta and Chicago blues musicians like Charley Patton, Son House, Willie Brown, and their young proteges Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and many others. Patton, House and Brown, along with pianist Louise Johnson, also take an outrageous and infamous road-trip to Wisconsin to record for Paramount Records. The central story revolves around a fictional African American character named Cyrus Jordan, who's a reporter for the famous black activist newspaper, the Chicago Defender. Cyrus lives in Chicago, but as a young man his first job was as a cub-reporter in the Mississippi Delta town of Mound Bayou. Cy spent several years in the Delta, and while there he was taken with the early blues music that he heard. Years later, when some of those Delta blues musicians begin appearing on national "race-records," Cyrus decides to return to Mississippi and write a story about the music. The newspaper also wants him to report on the deteriorating racial conditions, and increasing poverty, for blacks in the region. Cyrus Jordan takes the long and arduous segregated train ride back to Mississippi. During his journey, the troubled social history of African Americans in Mississippi unfolds, along with the elusive history of the blues. Once in the Delta, Cy faces the harsh scrutiny that greets an educated, well-dressed northern black man in the racist south of 1930. But Cyrus keeps his head down while working on his stories, finds his old blues friends and has some wild and adventurous times in the juke joints, during the heyday of the early Delta blues scene. Cyrus Jordan's unforgettable trip back to the Delta is a journey of discovery. He explores the roots of the blues and black culture, but also must confront the harsh realities of southern racism. For Cyrus, the trip also becomes a personal journey into finding his own roots and American identity. "The Promise of the Blues," is an inspiring story of music and life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1674453353
• ISBN13: 9781674453354
• Release Date: December 2019
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 189 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"