Essential Blues Books Part II: Blues History

 For those who really get infected with the blues bug simply listening to the music isn't enough. We want to know about the artists, their background, who influenced them and to be able to put the music we love into some kind of context. Fortunately their has been some outstanding blues research by dedicated blues scholars who have shone the light on a culture that was once hidden to us. Those who made the blues didn't document it, they lived it and the blues researcher had to tirelessly interview these folks and pore over public records like death certificates, the census and newspapers to slowly piece together the lives and history of those who made the music.

 At the beginning of the 21st century we can look back on 50+ years of blues scholarship from book length studies, academic pieces and pioneering articles in blues magazines like Blues Unlimited, 78 Quarterly, Living Blues and many others. The state of blues scholarship today is still a strong one particularly thriving among the University presses who are continually publishing studies on the blues. In this second article on blues books we focus on blues history books inclining general blues history books and regional histories.

General Blues History

 There's no shortage of general blues history books that look at the big picture and there are several good ones on the market all with their own particular point of view. One of the earliest is Paul Oliver's "The Story of the Blues" first published in 1969 and has been republished and expanded as of 1998. Oliver was one of the pioneering blues writers and "The Story of the Blues" is a densely packed, detailed look at the evolution of the blues that comes recommended but may be a bit academic for those who are new to the music.

 There's a number of more easily digestible books for newcomers including: Tony Russell's lavishly illustrated "The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray" (1997) is a well laid out blues history, Lawrence Cohn's "Nothing But the Blues: The Music and the Musicians" (1999) is another well illustrated book featuring essays by noted blues scholars such as Samuel Charters, David Evans, Bruce Bastion and Jim O'Neal while Francis Davis' "The History of the Blues" (1995) is another good one as Davis seeks to dispel many blues myths that have accumulated offering a thought provoking and opinionated view of blues history. For those looking for more depth I highly recommend William Barlow's comprehensive "Looking Up at Down: The Emergence of Blues Culture" making good use of recordings, oral histories, and interviews to trace the emergence of blues culture.

Regional Blues History

 If you're looking for more focused accounts of particular blues regions there are several fine studies. First up are a few that are genuine classics. Bruce Bastion's "Red River Blues" is an unparalleled study of the blues tradition in the Southern Atlantic states providing background on bluesmen like Blind Willie McTell, Blind Blake, Pink Anderson, Gary Davis and Blind Boy Fuller and many lesser knowns. Mike Rowe's "Chicago Blues: The City and the Music" is another seminal work. This is a detailed look at Chicago Blues covering all the big names and forgotten ones although the focus doesn't cover more modern Chicago artists. Other cities well documented include New Orleans with a special mention to Jeff Hannusch's "I Hear You Knockin': The Sound of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues" the most comprehensive look at New Orleans music and his follow-up book "The Soul of New Orleans: A Legacy of Rhythm and Blues" published in 2001. Other New Orleans histories worth seeking are a pair by John Broven including "Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans" (1983) and "Walking to New Orleans: The Story of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues" which is out of print but worth tracking down.

 Others worth mentioning include "Deep Blues" by Robert Palmer, an acknowledged classic on the delta blues tradition, James Dickerson's "Goin' Back to Memphis: A Century of Blues Rock N Roll, and Glorious Soul" isn't strictly about blues but is a well researched and written history of Memphis music while Steven Tracy's "Going to Cincinnati" is a fascinating history of the Cincinnati blues tradition. Other blues cities that have been well documented include Texas with a number of fine books including the just published "Down In Houston" (2003) by By Roger Wood And James Fraher, "Meeting the Blues: The Rise of the Texas Sound" (1995) and "Deep Ellum and Central Track: Where the Black and White Worlds of Dallas Converged" both by Alan Govenar.

Miscellaneous Blues History

 Obviously this can't be a comprehensive look at historical blues books but a few miscellaneous titles should be mentioned including: Pete Silvester's "A Left Hand Like God" a well researched look at the history of boogie-woogie piano, Angela Y. Davis' "Blues Legacies and Black Feminism" is a study of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and their impact on woman from a feminist viewpoint, "The Blues Makers" by Sam Charters combines two historical studies in one book by this pioneering blues writer ("The Bluesmen" and "Sweet As the Showers of Rain") and "Spinning Blues Into Gold" by Nadine Cohodas is a detailed history of the Chess label.

 There are many other fine histories but the above are some of the more noteworthy ones. In the follow-up sections to this article we'll take a look at blues research/reference books.

Related Links

Essential Blues Books Part I
Blues Books A-G
Blues Books H-Z
Down In Houston Review

(Jeff Harris)