The Story Of The Blues
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.10 (901 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 155553354X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 212 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-05-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Featuring over 200 vintage photographs and a new introduction by the author, the engaging, informative volume brings to life the African American singers and players who created this rich genre of music as well as the settings and experiences that inspired them.The author deftly traces the evolution of the blues from the work songs of slaves, to acoustic country ballads, to urban sounds, to electric rhythm and blues bands. Oliver vividly re-creates the economic, social, and regional forces that shaped the unique blues tradition, and superbly details every facet of the music, including themes and subjects, techniques, and recording history.
Too much information in too little space I'm not faulting the research, which is comprehensive; it is the format that the author chooses to present this information that is so difficult to digest. On any given page there are as many as 15 different names with barely enough information about each artist to differentiate them from one another. The book is so short and so densely packed that it is difficult to absorb the information. The author uses the regionalization of the Blues as it traveled from the South to the North . what a story! If you are looking for a book with mini-sized, hackneyed biographies of a few acclaimed blues artists, this isn't it. After all, it's not called, "Ten Blues Artists You Ought to Know About" (I wonder, how many could one refer to, providing substantial information and interesting details, in just 300 pages?). As the title clearly claims, this book tells "The Story of the Blues," the history of the beginnings of Black American music. Paul Oliver's intention is to present the magnitud. Not for the simply curious A Customer If you are looking for a really informative book with some depth to it as an introduction to the blues, this isn't it. Reading the Story of the Blues can become a bit dizzying. Such an extremely large number of artists are introduced at such a mind-numbing rapidity that you find you can't remember a thing about any of them and you doubt whether you would be able to find any of their work at the record store anyway. When you finally to get something about Robert Johnson at page 133,
"Encyclopedic in scope, The Story of the Blues is a bright work of scholarshipA profusion of well-chosen illustrations and informative captions makes it a vivid photographic essay as well as an invaluable compendium."--Arnold Shaw, New York Times Book Review
He lives in Oxford, England. His previous books include Blues Fell This Morning, Conversation with the Blues, Savannah Syncopators, Songsters and Saints, and The New Blackwell Guide to Recorded Blues. Paul Oliver is a highly-acclaimed authority on the blues.