Oliver Broadcasting the Blues

Black Blues in the Segregation Era
Erscheinungsjahr 2014
ISBN: 978-1-135-46716-6
Verlag: CRC Press
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 210 Seiten

Broadcasting the Blues: Black Blues in the Segregation Era is based on Paul Oliver's award-winning radio broadcasts from the BBC that were created over several decades. It traces the social history of the blues in America, from its birth in the rural South through the heyday of sound recordings. Noted blues scholar Paul Oliver draws on decades of research and personal interviews with performers--some of whom he "discovered" and recorded for the first time--to draw a picture of how the blues aesthetic developed, giving new insights into the role blues played in American society before racial integration.

The book begins by outlining the history of the blues from African music through country stomps, ragtime songs, and field hollers. From the heroic figures of black folksong--including the steel-driving railroad worker John Henry and the destructive Boll Weevil--to the content of the emerging blues, the author discusses the "meaning" behind the often coded words of the blues, evoking topics such as playful sexuality, magic and medicine, the stresses of segregation, and commentary on national events. Finally, the author traces the history of blues documentation, showing how our views of the early blues have been shaped through a complex interplay of social forces, and indicating possible lines for future research.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Oliver, Paul

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Geschichte der Musik
• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikgattungen Rock & Pop, Blues, Soul

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Introduction: The Development of the Blues
I Before the Blues
1 Blues in Retrospect
2 Blues and Black Society
3 Echoes of Africa
4 Go Down Old Hannah
5 Old Country Stomp
6 Ragtime Millionaires
7 Dr. Medicine
8 John Henry and the Boll Weevil
9 Yonder Comes the Blues
II Early Performers
10 Washboard Rhythm Bands
11 Harmonica Breakdown: Sonny Terry
12 Leadbelly (Parts 1 and 2)
13 Some Contemporary Blues Singers
III Meaning in the Blues
14 Blues and Trouble
15 Down the Dirt Road
16 Black Cat's Bone
17 Tricks Ain't Walkin'
18 Jail-house Moan
19 Let's Have a New Deal
20 High Water Everywhere
21 This World is in a Tnagle
22 Blues with a Feeling
23 Three Ball Blues
IV Documenting the Blues
24 Creating the Documents
25 (De)Classifying the Blues
26 Anticipatin' the Blues
27 Playing with the Strings
28 Blowin' the Blues
29 In the Field
30 Still to Be Documented
Conclusion: The Blues as an Art Form

Über Autor(innen)

Paul Oliver is a world-renowned authority on the blues. He was among the first to write seriously about the music, and his many acclaimed books include Blues Feel This Morning, Conversation with the Blues, The Story of the Blues, and Savannah Syncopators. He lives in Oxfordshire, England.