About book Delta Blues: The Life And Times Of The Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music (2008)
Ted Gioia takes a somewhat dry, academic and definitely hit-and-miss look at a great subject. The title is misleading as two-thirds of the book is about Chicago bluesmen with roots in the Mississippi Delta: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, et al. The real roots of Delta Blues remain almost as mysterious as the music of the Romans or the Greeks; whereas the Chicago/Chess story is well-documented and often told. Still, how can you go wrong with anecdotes about Robert Johnson (while playing he always hit on the homeliest woman in the room to increase his chance of success and reduce the odds against jealous retaliation); Leadbelly (yes the Lomaxes discovered him and made him a star, but they also made him their driver); and Muddy Waters (painted the Chess studio for extra cash). Occasionally Gioia manages to scrape off the mustard, like his 10-page repudiation of the Robert Johnson "Crossroads" myth (what next, an investigative report into the Santa Claus hoax?). I'm a blues junkie so this remains essential reading. I'm told Robert Palmer's book is much better. A terrific overview of the acknowledged masters of the Mississippi Delta blues (Robert Johnson, Son House, Muddy Waters, and others), some of their less-famous, underappreciated forebears and contemporaries(Willie Brown, Rube Lacy, Tommy McClennan, etc.), and finally members of the next generation who carry the legacy of the Delta blues in their own music, particularly with the Fat Possum record label (North Mississippi All-Stars, Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside). Gioia admits to being, originally, a jazz aficionado, but his love for the music of the Delta and for American folk/roots traditions in general shines through in his excellent prose and scholarship. The "For Further Reading" section listed many other worthwhile books, and I was particularly thrilled with the discography - since many of these songs were re-recorded and are repackaged again and again by record companies, it is often hard to determine which were the original recordings. Gioia cuts through all that by providing original label info. and release numbers. A must-read for the casual or rabid blues fan.
Do You like book Delta Blues: The Life And Times Of The Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music (2008)?
Great survey of Blues history, and the influence that the Delta tradition has had on modern music.
—Mike
It was about the blues in the delta of Mississippi. It was really good.
—bethanyh
