The Legacy of the Blues
ID: 3313 - View Book Page - Edit In OJS
Samuel Charters, novelist, poet and eminent historian of jazz and the blues, has chosen twelve major bluesmen, each of whom represents a major facet of the blues. He has skilfully portrayed them through their own words, using interviews, photographs, lyrics and separate chapters on the black experience in America, and the evolution of the blues language from its African origins.
Published: Jan 1, 1975
| Section | Chapter | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | ||
| Another America | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 2 | ||
| Some Visible Men - Big Joe Williams and J.D. Short | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 3 | ||
| An Inner Sense of Self - Bukka White | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 4 | ||
| 'You Can Hear the Sound of it Comin' Forth, Soundin' Good' - Robert Pete Williams | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 5 | ||
| A Partly Made World - Juke Boy Bonner | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 6 | ||
| The Language, The Voice | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 7 | ||
| The Blues as Poem | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 8 | ||
| Fingers that Move - Snooks Eaglin | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 9 | ||
| Hands Like Elbows - Champion Jack Dupree | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 10 | ||
| Coming to the City - Sunnyland Slim | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 11 | ||
| You Can Stay Around - Mighty Joe Young | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 12 | ||
| You Can Leave It - Eddie Boyd and Memphis Slim | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 13 | ||
| 'I Was Born with the Blues' - Lightnin' Hopkins | Samuel Charters | |
| Chapter 14 | ||
| An Appendix | Samuel Charters | |
| End Matter | ||
| A Note on the Sources | Samuel Charters | |
| Discography | Samuel Charters | |
Reviews
A labour of love whose interest both as music and social documentary is high, and whose urgency is unquestionable... its language shiningly evocative.
Sunday Times
A fascinating volume of essays... actually illuminates the music.
The Observer
This short but cogent study never over romanticises the bluesmen.
Financial Times