Little Blues Book [Paperback]

Brian Robertson (Author), R. Crumb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 1996

Illustrations by R. Crumb. A collection of lyrics and lore that captures the very heart and soul of the blues. From Blind Lemon Jefferson to Alberta Hunter, dozens of blues masters offer words of wisdom on subjects including luck (both good and bad), love, loss, and the raw material of life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Almost small enough to fit into a hip pocket, this is a kind of guidebook to the blues, featuring quotations from blues songs, mini-biographies of bluesmen and blueswomen, and illustrations by R. Crumb. The quotes (on topics ranging from "Getting the Blues" to "The Thrill is Gone") are little gems, pithy aphorisms like this one from Rabbit Brown: "I done seen better days, but I'm putting up with these." Author Brian Robertson, himself a musician, includes a bibliography and a list of Internet resources in this great little introduction to the blues and the men and women who made the music.

From Publishers Weekly

In his Little Blues Book, Texas musician Brian "King Bee" Robertson retells the legends, and recalls the lyrics, of Son House, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Muddy Waters and other blues greats. Combining thumbnail sketches, quotations from various bluesmen and illustrations by R. Crumb, this primer sets out with unabashed nostalgia to win the blues a new generation of devotees.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (January 10, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565121376
• ISBN-13: 978-1565121379
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #744,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Music > Musical Genres > Blues
  • #58 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Music > Reference > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was a blues neophyte, before I found this book., March 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Little Blues Book (Paperback)

Brian Robertson's way of telling stories about the men and women of the earliest blues is an insight into what it must have been like to be a black woman in the 20's expressing herself through music sans the riches and fame of today's stars. Since reading some of the lines of old blues songs, I have HAD to buy several re-released recordings from people like Ida Cox and Bessie Smith. Before I read this Little Blues Book I thought you had to be some kind of connosieur to understand the blues. I've always liked the blues, just didn't know what to look for or where to start. Having learned a few of the "secrets" about the blues, I've begun a new obsession. Besides being informative, this Little Blues Book is always cool to flip through and find gems like "she's a tailor-made woman, she ain't no hand-me-down" from Blind Lemon Jefferson - whose name I thought was first the name of a newer group, Blind Lemon. Uh. Gee. I grew up listening to rockers like Edgar & Johnny Winter, the Allman Brothers. Imagine my surprise when I read the lyrics to some of my favorite rock songs credited to some guy who lived 50 or 70 years ago. This book is highly recommended for anyone who needs a gift to give a teenager (specially one who is really into rock & alternative music). Or just for yourself because you always wanted to know, but didn't want to read volumes about a particular blues man or woman. This book will give you an idea of the individuals who made up the first wave of true American music. Thank you Brian Robertson.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great, original inspiring little reference book, September 9, 2007

By 

Stop Corporate Terrorism "Use Open Source - F... (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Little Blues Book (Paperback)

I really love this little book and just purchased another copy for a musician friend of mine.
This book is an original.
It is the kind of book that you can open anywhere and start reading.

Filled with great clips of some fantastic lyrics created the Best of the Best of the Blues (and rock) innovators.
I play (badly) the harmonica (blues harp) and what I like to do is take one of the lyrics/tag lines from the book that I like, then start singing them, then start wailing on my harp and making up making up the rest of a song. That is if I am not familiar with the some that the lyrics are referring to.

The selection of lyrics I find to be always creative, sometimes hilarious, gut honesty, sometimes with great wisdom, sometimes filled with pain, and always inspiring.

A REAL bonus are the great illustrations by the legendary comic book illustrator R. Crumb.

To go with those great illustration of the Blues legends are some short biographies, stories and legendary tales about the great innovators of Blues.
These are the people who invented that Blues form and were the original "Singer/Songwriters", invented using the guitar as a lead instrument, using electric instruments and taking them to a level never heard before, created Rock, American folk, Country, Boogie, Rockabilly and really for all of popular music, you can trace that Blues form to it.

Great and fun book to have. I am grateful to the author to capture the wisdom and talent of people of were American originals who wrote and played with their hearts and souls. These people should never be forgotten for their contribution to our culture.

Buy it. I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Jon T.