Listen to the Blues!: Exploring a Musical Genre

by James E. Perone

Overview

Listen to the Blues! Exploring A Musical Genre provides an overview of this distinctly American musical genre for fans of the blues and curious readers alike, with a focus on 50 must-hear artists, albums, and subgenres.

Unlike other books on the blues, which tend to focus on musician biographies, Listen to the Blues! devotes time to the compositions, recordings, and musical legacies of blues musicians from the early 20th century to the present. Although the author references musical structure, harmony, form, and other musical concepts, the volume avoids technical language; therefore, it is a volume that should be of interest to the casual blues fan, to students of blues music and its history, and to more serious blues fans. The chapters on the impact of the blues on popular culture and the legacy of the blues also put the genre in a broader historical context than what is found in many books on the blues.

The book opens with a background chapter that provides an overview of the history and structure of blues music. A substantial, encyclopedic chapter that focuses on 50 must-hear blues musicians follows, as does a chapter that explores the impact on popular culture of blues music and musicians and a chapter that focuses on the legacy of the genre. A bibliography rounds out the work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440866142
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/15/2019
Series:	Exploring Musical Genres
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

James E. Perone, PhD, is Margaret Morgan Ramsey professor in music and associate dean of the faculty at the University of Mount Union, Alliance, OH.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword ix

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

1 Background 1

2 Must-Hear Music 17

Blues Rock 17

Big Bill Broonzy 24

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band 31

Albert Collins 33

Robert Cray 35

"Cross Road Blues" 38

Willie Dixon 40

The Early 1960s' London Blues Scene 46

"Folsom Prison Blues" 51

Gospel Music and the Blues 54

Guitar Slim and "The Things I Used to Do" 57

Buddy Guy 59

Hokum Blues and Ragtime Songs 61

John Lee Hooker 66

Lightnin' Hopkins 70

Son House 72

Howlin' Wolf 74

Instrumental Blues on the Pop Charts: Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Ventures 78

Elmore James 81

Etta James 82

Blind Lemon Jefferson 84

Robert Johnson 88

Louis Jordan and Jump Blues 92

Keb' Mo' and the Late-20th-Century Resurgence of the Blues 96

Albert King 100

B.B. King: Live at the Regal 103

Freddie King 107

Lead Belly 110

J.B. Lenoir and the Blues as a Political Statement 113

Little Walter 116

Jelly Roll Morton, New Orleans Jazz, and the Blues 119

Muddy Waters 121

Charley Patton 125

Ma Rainey 128

Jimmy Reed 131

Rockabilly and Early Rock and Roll 135

Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, and the Country Connection to the Blues 139

Seasick Steve and the Legacy of the Homemade Guitar 145

Slim Harpo 148

Bessie Smith 152

Otis Spann 156

"Sweet Home Chicago" 159

Taj Mahal 161

T-Bone Walker 164

Johnny "Guitar" Watson 168

Junior Wells 169

Josh White 171

Big Joe Williams 175

Sonny Boy Williamson I 177

Sonny Boy Williamson II 180

3 Impact on Popular Culture 184

4 Legacy 196

Bibliography 209

Index 225

Editorial Reviews

Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers.” —Choice

“As with earlier volumes in the series, Listen to the Blues! is both authoritative and accessible. It will be a useful addition to public and school libraries,or in other settings where such a general introduction is desired.” —ARBA

From the Publisher

07/01/2019

Following the series format, this title features an overview essay, "must hear" entries, and discussion of the impact of the blues on musicians and music today. Perone (music, Univ. of Mount Union, OH) focuses on blues as a song-based genre, choosing 50 entries from the sound-recording era. Essays on Big Bill Broonzy and Etta James join those on gospel and rockabilly. The writing is accessible, though Perone includes significant detail, likely of most interest to those seeking to learn rather than browse. VERDICT The series is of value to academic music libraries. Consider individual volumes as patron interest merits for public libraries.

Library Journal