From the field cries and work chants of Southern Negroes emerged a rich and vital music called the country blues, an intensely personal expression of the pains and pleasures of black life. This music--recorded during the twenties by men like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Bill Broonzy, and Robert Johnson--had all but disappeared from memory until the folk music revival of the late 1950's created a new and appreciable audience for the country blues.On of the pioneering studies of this unjustly-neglected music was Sam Charter's The Country Blues. In it, Charters recreates the special world of the country bluesman--that lone black performer accompanying himself on the acoustic guitar, his music a rich reflection of his own emotional life.Virtually rewriting the history of the blues, Charters reconstructs its evolution and dissemination, from the first tentative soundings on the Mississippi Delta through the emergence, with Elvis Presley, of rock and roll. His carefully-researched biographies of near-legendary performers like Lonnie Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Tampa Red--coupled with his perceptive discussions of their recordings--pay tribute to a kind of artistry that will never be seen or heard again. And his portraits of the still-strumming Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters, and Lightnin' Hopkins--point up the undying strength and vitality of the country blues.
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About the Author
Samuel Charters is a musicographer, novelist, poet, and producer of jazz and blues records who for many years has also been seriously interested in every aspect of black music. His book, The Country Blues, was the first to be published on the subject. He began making field recordings in the South in the early 1950s and has subsequently produced many recordings, both of individual blues artists and of the musical backgrounds of the blues in the United States and the Caribbean. He has since extended his research and recording to West Africa. His other books include Jazz: A History of the New York Scene, The Blues Makers, and The Roots of the Blues.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A charming glimpse of the lives of the country bluesmen,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Country Blues (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)
For anyone who is interested in the Blues and needs a starting point for information, this is the book. It is easy to read, very basic, yet charged with emotion. Charters shows great concern for the artists he portrays in this book. He doesn't cover a great deal of technical info, nor does he go into great detail about the artists and their music, however he is able to portray a charming overview of the lives and music of these bluesmen. If you are looking for a book with more specifics, THE BLUES MAKERS: AND SWEET AS THE SHOWERS OF RAIN by Sam Carters is a good choice. Also, be sure to read the introduction of both books - they clearly explain Charter's mission.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvelous,
This review is from: The Country Blues (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)
I was highly entertained by and learned a great deal from this book, not just about some of the biggest names in country blues, but about the biggest stars in the genre. That is, the focus of the Country Blues is not necessarily on the most influential country-blues artists--it barely mentions Charlie Patton and Son House (although it does include a chapter on Robert Johnson)--but on the country-blues artists who sold the most records (e.g., Blind Lemon Jefferson and Big Bill Broonzy and Leroy Carr), and on their labels and handlers.In other words, the blues musicians who so captivated the likes of Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones weren't always the same as those who captivated their contemporaries, and it's to these latter, now less-remembered giants, whom Samuel Charters pays homage. Part music-business history, part biography, and part blues criticism, this volume is both eye-opening and a delight to read. (My only criticism is that, in the Preface to the 1975 Edition (the book was originally published in 1959), Charters alludes to errors in the Country Blues, but does not specify what they are or correct them. From what I've been able to gather through other sources, though, (e.g., Chasin' That Devil's Music) the errors are not many, and not terribly significant.)
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The blues, as a distinctive musical form, is probably not much older than the years just before the first World War. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
one kind favor, colored audience, jug band, recording director, blues lists, race artists, slave music, country blues, field cries, party blues Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Big Bill, New Orleans, Tampa Red, Kansas City, Beale Street, Peg Leg, Leroy Carr, Mayo Williams, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jim Jackson, Lonnie Johnson, Papa Charlie, Dallas Blues, Georgia Tom, Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, Muddy Waters, United States, Washboard Sam, Blind Blake, Gold Star, Ralph Peer, American Recording Corporation, Blind Willie Johnson New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The blues, as a distinctive musical form, is probably not much older than the years just before the first World War. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
one kind favor, colored audience, jug band, recording director, blues lists, race artists, slave music, country blues, field cries, party blues Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Big Bill, New Orleans, Tampa Red, Kansas City, Beale Street, Peg Leg, Leroy Carr, Mayo Williams, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jim Jackson, Lonnie Johnson, Papa Charlie, Dallas Blues, Georgia Tom, Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, Muddy Waters, United States, Washboard Sam, Blind Blake, Gold Star, Ralph Peer, American Recording Corporation, Blind Willie Johnson New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 12
books:
See all 12 books this book cites
- Main Street (Signet Classics) by Sinclair Lewis on page 122
- John Henry (Read-It! Readers En Espanol) (Read-It! Readers En Espanol: Tall Tales Green Level) (Spanish Edition) by Christianne C. Jones on page 101
- Coast to Coast by Donna L. Hughes on page 230
- Coast To Coast by Sean Williams on page 230
- The American Songbag by Carl Sandburg on page 57
See all 12 books this book cites
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