The blues. It's that low-down feeling that makes you ache from your soul to the soles of your shoes. Here in the voice of a grandfather passing on a legacy to a younger generation, renowned author Julius Lester introduces ten of the hottest black blues singers of our time. The diva Aretha Franklin, the legendary Billie Holiday, and the fabulous B.B. King are just a taste of what's in store.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Lester's (When Dad Killed Mom, reviewed below) picture-book tribute to the blues an art form in which "the music and the beat wrap around your heart like one of your grandmother's hugs" and some of its greatest performers, hits all the right notes. Framed as a summertime storytelling session between grandfather and granddaughter, the narrative invites readers to picture the pair rocking on a front porch sipping lemonade. Lester profiles 10 blues, or blues-inspired, legends including Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Billie Holiday as well as Mahalia Jackson who was widely considered a gospel singer but was influenced by and certainly influenced other blues singers and Little Richard, who grew out of a blues background to invent rock 'n' roll. Each mini-biography contains factual information about the artist's singing/playing style as well as the author's personal connection to the singer/musician (e.g., "When I was a teenager, I was attending a meeting in Chicago with my church youth group. Mahalia came to our meeting and sang a few songs"). Lester's anecdotal approach, his leisurely pacing and abundance of colorful, down-home similes give the famous figures a tangible presence and make for a music history lesson that goes down as smooth as honey. The book's arresting design features large, boldly hued pull-quotes scattered throughout the text, as well as comments from various artists. Cohen's (Little Lil and the Swing-Singing Sax) chunky, stylized portraits of each singer capture some of the performers' signature looks, but young readers may want to seek out photographs for a different perspective. A bibliography and "Recommended Listening" list suggest opportunities for further exploration of this American music genre. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 3 Up-An introduction to some of the most influential blues singers of the past century. Writing from the perspective of a grandparent talking to his granddaughter, Lester clearly loves the music. He conveys what it does-"-cures the blues"-and why it is important-"-if it wasn't for the blues, we probably wouldn't have anything to listen to except our toenails growing." The conversational but poetic storytelling voice hits just the right note. In the three pages devoted to each subject, the author relates anecdotes of personal encounters with the performers and stories told to him by his grandparents, and gives explanations about times gone by to help readers understand the context of each person's life. What is remarkable is that despite the limitations of the format, Lester is able to provide significant details about these singers that convey who they were and their influence. The piece about Ray Charles in particular captures the essence of this man's life better than some of the full-length biographies available. The volume is illustrated with full-page stylized portraits in bold, flat colors. Large-print quotes in a variety of pastels and typefaces add to the appealing overall design. A brief bibliography and list of CDs are also included. An essential purchase.
Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Born in 1939, Julius Lester spent his youth in the Midwest and the South and received a B.A. in English from Fisk University in 1960.Since 1968 he has published 25 books of fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and poetry. Among the awards these books have received are the Newbery Honor Medal, American Library Association Notable Book, National Jewish Book Award Finalist, The New York Times Outstanding Book, National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, Caldecott Honor Book, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and a National Book Award Finalist. His books have been translated into eight languages.He has published more than one hundred essays and reviews in such publications The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Op-Ed Page, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice, The New Republic, Katallagete, Moment, Forward, and Dissent.He has recorded two albums of original songs, hosted and produced a radio show on WBAI-FM in New York City for eight years, and hosted a live television show on WNET in New York for two years. A veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, his photographs of that movement are included in an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution and are part of the permanent photographic collection at Howard University.After teaching at the New School for Social Research for two years, Mr. Lester joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts/Amherst in 1971 where he is presently a full professor in the Judaic and Near Eastern Studies Department, and adjunct professor in the English and History departments. He also serves as lay religious leader of Beth El Synagogue in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.He has been awarded all four of the university's most prestigious faculty awards: The Distinguished Teacher's Award; the Faculty Fellowship Award for Distinguished Research and Scholarship; Distinguished Faculty Lecturer; and recipient of the Chancellor's Medal, the University's highest honor. In 1986 the Council for Advancement and Support of Education selected him as the Massachusetts State Professor of the Year.Mr. Lester's biography has appeared in Who's Who In America since 1970. He has given lectures and papers at more than 100 colleges and universities.His most recent books are John Henry, And All Our Wounds Forgiven, a novel about the civil rights movement, and Othello, a novel based on the Shakespeare play.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's Nothing Like the Blues.....,
This review is from: The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World (Hardcover)
As Julius Lester tells his granddaughter and us, too, in the introduction, "...the blues are like having the flu in your feelings. But instead of your nose being stuffed up, it's your heart that feels like it needs blowing... The words of a blues song might be sad, but the music and the beat wrap around your heart like one of your grandmother's hugs." Meet ten artists who "rocked the world" with their music. From the legendary Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, and B.B. King, to Mahalia Jackson, Little Richard, and James Brown, whose music was inspired and influenced by the blues, Mr Lester profiles their lives, times and careers, and passes on the love of the blues to a whole new generation. His captivating text, written in an easy to read, conversational style, is evocative, and full of historical information, fun facts, quotes from other musicians, and personal anecdotes, and along with Lisa Cohen's marvelously bright, bold, and expressive portraits really brings each artist to life on the page. With a bibliography and suggested reading and listening lists at the end, The Blues Singers, Ten Who Rocked The World, is a terrific and informative introduction that's just perfect for young music lovers 9 and older. "Honey, if it wasn't for the blues, we probably wouldn't have anything to listen to except our toenails growing."
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