Description
This compilation of essays takes the study of the blues to a welcome new level. Distinguished scholars and well-established writers from such diverse backgrounds as musicology, anthropology, musicianship, and folklore join together to examine blues as literature, music, personal expression, and cultural product. Ramblin' on My Mind contains pieces on Ella Fitzgerald, Son House, and Robert Johnson; on the styles of vaudeville, solo guitar, and zydeco; on a comparison of blues and African music; on blues nicknames; and on lyric themes of disillusionment.
Contributors are Lynn Abbott, James Bennighof, Katharine Cartwright, Andrew M. Cohen, David Evans, Bob Groom, Elliott Hurwitt, Gerhard Kubik, John Minton, Luigi Monge, and Doug Seroff.
An exceptionally diverse look at blues history, styles, and performances
About the Author
David Evans is a professor in the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis and the author of Big Road Blues: Tradition and Creativity in the Folk Blues, Tommy Johnson, and The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Blues. A seasoned performer and producer, Evans is also a Grammy Award winner.
Reviews
"Indispensable."--American Book Review
"[An] illuminating volume. . . . Recommended to all blues fans."--Sing Out
"Like a program album wherein melodies and chords are carried from song to song, the authors in this collection pass themes from one essay to the next."--Journal of Southern History
Book Information
ISBN 9780252074486
Author David Evans
Format Paperback
Page Count 440
Imprint University of Illinois Press
Publisher University of Illinois Press
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 33mm
