Highway 61: Crossroads on the Blues Highway

by Derek Bright, Johnny Green (Foreword by)

Overview

Follow British Blues musician and researcher, Derek Bright, as he travels along the famed Highway 61 route from Chicago to New Orleans. This thoroughly researched book delves deeply into African American culture, history and music both past and present associated with the highway. For anyone considering travelling Highway 61, or just wanting to learn more about this historic route and the origins of the blues, this book is essential reading. 2020 Edition with additional photography and updated information.
'Bright is an old master at following old and ancient trails, and you couldn't pick a better guide to show you the sights on Highway 61' ( Paul Garon, co-founder of Living Blues)
'Derek tunes the car radio to the very best black music that America has to offer...for those of us yet to make this trip into a still so relevant psycho-geographical culture, he is our eyes, ears, and conscience' (Johnny Green, former road manager of The Clash)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781789631821
Publisher:	Choir Press
Publication date:	10/31/2020
Pages:	178
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

Derek Bright is a British blues musician, researcher and author. His first book 'The Pilgrims' Way: Fact & Fiction of an Ancient Trackway' re-evaluated use of the route evidenced by roadside crime, prohibitive legislation, and economic inequality. He has appeared on several TV programmes including Simon Reeve's Pilgrimage; Tony Robinson's Britain's Ancient Tracks, and the BBC's Countryfile. Then inspired to research the history of the blues linked to the struggle for emancipation, he followed his own blues pilgrimage to Chicago and the Deep South of the USA. Derek took three road trips, each time confronting his own expectations through meeting musicians, writers, historians, farmers and bartenders along the route from Chicago to New Orleans who shared their knowledge, experience and understanding of the land and culture from where the Blues originated.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements. Foreword by Johnny Green. Introduction. Chapter 1 Down on the Killing Floor: Chicago. Chapter 2 Lord, Sixty-One Highway: Joliet to Rock Island. Chapter 3 Down to St Louis: St Louis. Chapter 4 Big Train Goes to Memphis: Memphis. Chapter 5 Casinos and Cotton: Walls to Robinsonville. Chapter 6 Pass the Biscuits – It’s King Biscuit Time: Helena. Chapter 7 Juke Joints, Shacks and BBQ: Clarksdale. Chapter 8 The Ghosts of Emmett Till: Tutwiler to Greenville. Chapter 9 Beyond Catfish Row: Vicksburg to Natchez. Chapter 10 Carry Me Down on Rampart Street: New Orleans. Afterword. Bibliography. Index.