Encyclopedia of the Blues - Softcover

Gerard Herzhaft

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1557284520 ISBN 13: 9781557284525

Publisher: University of Arkansas Press, 1997

Synopsis

From cottonfields to international festivals, from Mamie Smith and her 1920 recording of "Crazy Blues" to such rising young stars as Robert Cray, Jo Louis Walker, and Kenny Neal, the growth of the musical tradition known as "the blues" has been long and varied. Born out of shared uncertainties of the ambiguous freedom thrust upon succeeding generations of African-Americans during Reconstruction, this musical genre born in America has grown to rival the jazz it resembles and has given birth, in turn, to rock-and-roll. Containing hundreds of entries with detailed examinations of the instruments, trends, recordings, producers, and performers who have helped to popularize the blues and to introduce it to an ever-widening audience, Encyclopedia of the Blues is an indispensable reference for all readers and musicians involved with or intrigued by the music. Complete with a selected discography, the Encyclopedia is a clear and comprehensive guide to a truly American art form.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

From Mamie Smith and her seminal recording of "Crazy Blues" in 1920 through the standard makers like Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, and Blind Boy Fuller to contemporary stars such as Robert Cray, Joe Louis Walker, and Kenny Neal - the musical tradition known as the "blues" has been long and varied. Encyclopedia of the Blues is an indispensable reference source for everyone involved with or intrigued by the music. The work alphabetizes hundreds of biographical entries of the performers who have created and popularized the blues, presenting detailed examinations of the instruments, trends, recordings, and producers. It is appended with a very useful bibliography and discography, as well as mini-studies of selected blues standards.

About the Author:

Paul Harris is an editor for Folkestone Creative, which includes Writing and commissioning articles, proof-reading, working on magazine layout and content. Further to that, he has worked in a number of heritage roles, including as a custodian of a Martello tower.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1557284520
• ISBN 13: 9781557284525
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 300