The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray [Hardcover]

Tony Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997

"The Blues" traces the roots of this indigenous American music from its origins in the South through its great popularity throughout the U.S. and around the world. Includes an A-Z directory of blues musicians, photos on nearly every page, and a four-page timeline, covering 1912 to 1992.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tony Russell's opus is an elegantly produced, lavishly illustrated paean to blues artists, blues legends, and the history of the blues. Richly enhanced by hundreds of historic black-and- white photographs as well as color photographic portraits, Russell's text exudes his knowledge of and enthusiasm for his subject. He maps the progression of the blues in a Blues Time chart, from the first publication of blues compositions ("Memphis Blues" by W.C. Handy and "Dallas Blues" by Hart Wand in 1912) to the deaths of Willie Dixon and Albert King and the opening of First House of Blues in Los Angeles in 1992, and he writes about its history, from early 1900s roots, through nine stages of blues development, to modern times.

Russell profiles 24 blues legends, such as Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bessie Smith, and Howlin' Wolf, recounting their lives, musical accomplishments, and recordings. And there's an A to Z of blues artists, from Texas Alexander (1900-1954) to Zora Young (born 1948), that provides biographical sketches and a musical analysis of close to 400 blues virtuosos. In addition, Russell includes a selection of 55 milestone recordings, from Blind Blake's "Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker" to Big Joe Williams's "Shake Your Boogie." With a calendar of United States and European Blues festivals, an appendix of blues biography, history, and discography books, and a decent index, Russell's Blues volume is a useful reference and a visually beautiful tribute to the blues. --Stephanie Gold --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028648625
• ISBN-13: 978-0028648620
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopedia Bluetannica, August 16, 2002

By 

Chris Boone (Virginia Beach, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray (Hardcover)

Getting straight to the point, I really enjoy the way this book is laid out.

The book opens with an essay you might call the state of the blues today, written by the author in 1997.
After that comes a rudimentary blues time line covering some of the more important blues events and recordings.

Next comes a series of essays covering different eras in the evolution of the blues. The titles include, 'Birth of the Blues', 'The Early Twenties', 'The Late Twenties', 'The Thirties', 'Post War Chicago', 'West and South', 'The Sixties', 'The Seventies and Eighties', and finally 'The Blues Today'.

The meat and potatoes of the book comes next. The index of blues musicians. The first section covers some of the more Legendary figures in the blues, like Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy. The musicians covered in this section are given longer bios which are accompanied by several pictures.
After the legends section comes the A-Z Blues Artists section. This is basically a list of blues musicians in alphabetical order with a short bio and picture when available.
Two more sections follow covering milestone blues recordings and blues festivals around the world.

My one gripe with this volume, as you probably figured, is that some artists are not included. For what reason I'm not sure. But it is extremely difficult to be all-inclusive with this type of work. If you are trying to find a specific artist, it is best to check the index in the back as if the artist is featured in the legends section, then there will not be a duplicate entry in the A-Z section. If you are looking for a comprehensive history of the blues you would be better of looking elsewhere. This book is more of a who's who of the blues, offering insights on many blues artists from legendary to relatively unknown.

It's arranged to be like a reference guide, but readers would have no problem reading it from cover to cover. It's big, has lots of pictures and looks great on the coffee table.
Great gift for your favorite blues fan, or for a music connoisseur looking to learn more about blues musicians.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plush Photos, October 27, 2000

By 

SeatownDave "liberal" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray (Hardcover)

This is a big book, almost coffee-table sized, and it takes full advantage with hundreds of amazing photos. But it's also got some great essays and lots of little fact boxes and other doodads to catch your eye. Everybody's here, of course, from Charlie Patton to Muddy, Buddy, B.B., Albert (Collins and King), Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the rest. Even R&B artists such as Fats Domino get top billing. A section on Milestone Recordings is a nice addition, as is a list of the major blues festivals, blues magazines, and other related books.

There are cheaper guides to the blues and cheaper ways to get some of this information, but this is a fun book to page through. The photos here make it worth the price of admission. Joe Bob sez check it out. ;-)

5.0 out of 5 stars Captures the blues atmosphere in all its forms, April 12, 2001

By 

David M. Scott "David Meerman Scott" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray (Paperback)

This one is done right. The book is logically organized. Section include a well-written introduction essay, a blues timeline to ground us in the history, decade-by-decade highlights, great coverage of "blues legends" and an A to Z section covering everyone who's important in blues. Great photographs and insightful captions throughout enhance the text.

At first, I found myself looking up my favorites - Albert King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, James Cotton but very quickly I was soaked in the stories of artists I knew much less about. A good read that captures the blues atmosphere in all its forms.