Give me all experiences related to (preferably not white) blues

July 27, 2019 8:19 AM

Over the past few years, I've become obsessed with delta blues and chicago blues by black artists. That umbrella soon included a subset of blues, soul, and jazz artists. I need a proper fix. Details inside.

I like to read books (fiction and nonfiction), watch films/tv, go out places and travel, and I want to collect experiences of all things blues that humanize those artists and make those eras come alive for me. I want something that shows me what it's really like to be a blues artist, not necessarily by focusing on their art either. It could be anything, even a bar to go to anywhere in the US. This is a fairly new area of discovery for me, so I haven't done much besides... listen to the music. So, recommend hidden gems but don't feel bad about recommending something more obvious.

posted by SkinsOfCoconut to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Best answer: Well - I haven't watched this film yet because I just found out about it searching to see if Babe's & Ricky's Inn was still open, and unfortunately it's not. I'm not terribly surprised, since Mama, the founder and owner died a while back, but I'm still super sad to hear it. In fact the club and Mama's passing are the subject of my only ever post on the blue.

Babe's & Ricky's was a blues club in South Central LA (technically I think it would have been considered South Central adjacent, but no point in splitting hairs), with an amazing history. I went there several times I just watched the trailer and I think I can't wait to watch the film, you will probably enjoy it!
posted by pazazygeek at 8:34 AM on July 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Here's a long list of book recommendations:
Blues People: Negro Music in White America by LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka)
Deep Blues by Robert Palmer
I Put A Spell On You: The Autobiography of Nina Simone by Nina Simone
Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition by Adam Gussow
Moanin’ at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin’ Wolf by James Segrest and Mark Hoffman
Blues All Around Me, The Autobiography of B.B. King by B.B. King with David Ritz
Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday by Angela Davis
The History of the Blues: The Roots, the Music, the People by Francine Davis
Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class (Race and American Culture) by Eric Lott
The Devil's Music: A History of the Blues by Giles Oakley

You could also check out Martin Scorsese's 7-part documentary series on blues: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues, A Musical History

Jack Dappa is a historian whose website has a wealth of resources, including a podcast/radio show and more: https://jackdappabluesradio.tv/

And b/c I just happened to see this linked recently by a friend: Article on Cedric Burnside

Have fun learning!
posted by aka burlap at 10:01 AM on July 27, 2019 [5 favorites]

If you're just getting into the blues, don't neglect the Piedmont Blues style, as exemplified by the Reverend Gary Davis. The fingerpicking style is very distinctive and beautiful, and was influential for a generation of rock musicians like Jorma Kaukonen and Jerry Garcia.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 10:13 AM on July 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

You'll like this recent New Yorker article on Buddy Guy.
posted by Leontine at 12:04 PM on July 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Some longform essays you might enjoy:

Everybody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Oxford American, on Bessie Smith)
J.R.'s Jook and the Authenticity Mirage (Longreads, on J.R. Hamilton)
Hammer in Her Hand (Oxford American, on Beverly 'Guitar' Watkins)
From Howlin' Wolf to Hendrix: the Life and Times of Buddy Guy (Rolling Stone)
The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie (John Jeremiah Sullivan in the NYT, on Geeshie Wiley and Elvie Thomas)
Searching for Robert Johnson (Vanity Fair, on the subject of how few photos of Johnson exist)
Hellhound on the Money Trail (LA Weekly, originally, on Robert Johnson's family not receiving royalties for his recordings)
posted by box at 1:50 PM on July 27, 2019 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Paul Garon has written some books that give racially sensitive context to the blues.
posted by Chitownfats at 8:55 PM on July 27, 2019

Best answer: Elijah Wald's book "How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll" is an unexpectedly thoughtful take on authenticity in popular music hiding behind a troll-worthy title.

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, then later Cephas & Wiggins , played some lovely Piedmont blues. Just guitar, harmonic and voice — but they could do a lot with it.
posted by scruss at 7:37 AM on July 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: recommending something more obvious

Well... how about a visit to Chicago during the annual blues fest? The organizers have been doing a great job of recognizing blues legends before they shuffle off this mortal coil. I know I'll always treasure seeing Hubert Sumlin & company absolutely crushing 'Forty Four'. Visit Buddy Guy's Legends while you're in town, and Kingston Mines.
posted by Bron at 11:43 AM on July 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: My god, this is exactly what I wanted. Special thanks to you, spitbull, for peppering this post. People like you are the reason I ask questions here. I hope you don't mind if I reach out to you in the future to discuss some things. :)
posted by SkinsOfCoconut at 10:44 AM on July 31, 2019