Blues Detective: Talking With Gayle Dean Wardlow

 Gayle Dean Wardlow calls himself the world's greatest blues detective and that's a pretty fair assessment. Wardlow was one of the first to do extensive research on the early Mississippi blues artists. Through dogged work he conducted numerous interviews, pored over old public records and knocked on doors to fill in the blanks on the old delta bluesman. Without him we would know far less about such important figures as Charlie Patton, Son House, Willie Brown and Robert Johnson. In addition he has one of the world's most comprehensive collections of pre-war blues 78's. Wardlow has written numerous articles a number of which are collected in the book Chasin' The Devil's Music and was co-author of King Of The Delta Blues a biography of Charlie Patton

 It was rare treat to have Wardlow in Rochester, NY just a couple of weeks ago to give a lecture at the University of Rochester and the Eastman House of Music. The class he spoke in front of was an introductory blues course and the students got a one of a kind history lesson.

 The lecture was supposed to be structured so that myself and another person were to ask Wardlow questions but once he got rolling his enthusiasm got the best of him and I barely got a word in edgewise. At 60 years old he's still incredibly passionate about the music and he also turned out to be an eloquent and very funny speaker. The lecture stuck to primarily to delta blues focusing on Charlie Patton, Son House, Willie Brown and Robert Johnson. He described Patton's powerful playing and his influence on Robert Johnson. He talked with authority about Robert Johnson and still debated topics like how he died and where he was buried (he was the one who discovered Robert Johnson's death certificate). What made his lecture so riveting was the fact that he was relying on his own first hand research much of which has yet to be published.

 Overall the lecture went over very well with a number of people saying it was one of the best lectures that ever had. Wardlow's passion is contagious and I was lucky enough to have dinner with him prior to the lecture. I've been fascinated with pre-war blues for a long time so it was a real pleasure to to soak in Wardlow's first hand knowledge.

 Gayle Dean Wardlow has played an important role in American music shining the light on a mysterious and little documented world. If you get the chance to witness one of his lectures don't miss it.

-Check out this site for an interview and online articles by Gayle Dean Wardlow: http://www.bluesworld.com/wardlow.html