Write Me a Few of Your Lines: A Blues Reader

Book Overview

Among the signal achievements of African American culture is the style of music known as the blues, an art form evolved from southern black songs of the late nineteenth century. From the field hollers and steel-bodied guitar of its early days to the electric amplification of today's performers, the visceral power of the blues has long been celebrated for its creativity, spontaneity, and ingenuity. It has served as a wellspring for other forms of music, including gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and rap, and has exerted an influence on literature and the visual arts as well.

This book brings together some of the most significant writings about the blues published between 1911 and 1998. Included are selections by folklorists, anthropologists, sociologists, literary artists, musicians, critics, and aficionados. The extraordinary appeal of the blues is reflected in the range of contributors to this volume, among them Howard W. Odum, Alan Lomax, Richard Alan Waterman, Langston Hughes, Paul Oliver, Sam Charters, Janheinz Jahn, James Baldwin, Leroi Jones, Charles Keil, Jeff Todd Titon, Houston Baker, Hazel Carby, and Angela Davis. From these various perspectives emerges a new understanding of the blues: its origins in African aesthetics; the impact of slavery and Reconstruction; its early folk manifestations; and the importance of religion, style, gender, audience, protest, and the record business in its development as an art form. Further context is provided by a comprehensive introduction, section overviews, and an extensive bibliography, discography, and videography of blues materials.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558492062
• ISBN13: 9781558492066
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
• Length: 624 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.0" x 10.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Deep Blues

This outstanding scholarly effort assembles nearly fifty writings on the historical and musicolgical evolution of blues music and lyrics from their African roots to the present day. Originally published between 1911 and 1998, these essays convey the valuable insights of such distinguished writers as Alan Lomax, Langston Hughes, Paul Oliver, Sam Charters, James Baldwin, Leroi Jones, and Angela Davis, among other noted folklorists, musicians, critics, and blues aficionados. The essays are grouped into ten parts: Africa and the Blues; Before and Alongside the Blues; Folklore and the Blues; The Blues and Religion; Style; Performance; Racism and Social Protest; On the Record; Literature, Criticism, and the Blues; and The Blues as Influence. Preceded by insightful introductory material, the writings are followed by an extensive discography, bibliography, videography, and list of useful Internet resources. For anyone who truly cares about blues music and wants to delve more deeply into its historical, literary, and aesthetic depths, this collection of essays is an invaluable resource.