Bibliograph

The blues, a very short introduction, Elijah Wald

Type

Label

The blues, a very short introduction, Elijah Wald

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 128-130) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The blues

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

500794417

Responsibility statement

Elijah Wald

Series statement

Very short introductions, 247

Sub title

a very short introduction

Summary

"In The Blues, Wald surveys a genre at the heart of American culture. Wald sees blues less as a style than as a broad musical tradition within a constantly evolving pop culture. He traces its roots in work and praisse songs and shows how it was transformed by such professional performers as W.C. Hardy, who first popularized the blues a century ago. He follows its evolution from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith through Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix; identifies the impace of rural field recordings of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, and others; explores the role of blues in the development of both country music and jazz; and looks at the popular rhythm and blues trends of the 1940s and 1950s, from the uptown West Coast style of T-Bone Walker to the "down home" Chicago sound of Muddy Waters. Wald brings the story up to the present, touching on the effects of blues on American poetry and its connection to modern styles such as rap."--Front flap

Table Of Contents

pt. 1: A short history of blues -- Roots of the blues -- Prewar blues -- Modern blues -- pt. 2: Blues in American culture -- Blues and jazz -- Blues and country music -- The language and poetry of the blues

Classification