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Robert Johnson's story presents a fascinating paradox: Why did this genius of the Delta blues excite so little interest when his records were first released in the 1930s? And how did this brilliant but obscure musician come to be hailed long after his death as the most important artist in early blues and a founding father of rock 'n' roll? Elijah Wald provides the first thorough examination of Johnson's work and makes it the centerpiece for a fresh look at the entire history of the blues. He traces the music's rural folk roots but focuses on its evolution as a hot, hip African-American pop style, placing the great blues stars in their proper place as innovative popular artists during one of the most exciting periods in American music. He then goes on to explore how the image of the blues was reshaped by a world of generally white fans, with very different standards and dreams. The result is a view of the blues from the inside, based not only on recordings but also on the recollections of the musicians themselves, the African-American press, and original research. Wald presents previously unpublished studies of what people on Delta plantations were actually listening to during the blues era, showing the larger world in which Johnson's music was conceived. What emerges is a new respect and appreciation for the creators of what many consider to be America's deepest and most influential music. Wald also discusses how later fans formed a new view of the blues as haunting Delta folklore. While trying to separate fantasy from reality, he accepts that neither the simple history nor the romantic legend is the whole story. Each has its own fascinating history, and it is these twin histories that inform this book.
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Subjects
Blues (Music), History and criticism, Blues musicians, Biography, Johnson, robert, 1911-1938, Blues (music), history and criticism, Musicians, biography, Johnson, robert , -1938, Johnson, robert , 1911-1938, Blues musicians--mississippi--biography, Blues (music)--history and criticism, Blues (music)--mississippi--history and criticism, Ml420.j735 w35 2004People
Robert Johnson (d. 1938)Places
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1
Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues
December 14, 2004, Amistad
in English
0060524278 9780060524272
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2
Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues
December 14, 2004, Amistad
Paperback
in English
- Book and CD-ROM edition
0060524278 9780060524272
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3
Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues
January 6, 2004, Amistad
in English
0060524235 9780060524234
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4
Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues
January 6, 2004, Amistad
Hardcover
in English
0060524235 9780060524234
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Book Details
First Sentence
"THERE HAS PROBABLY BEEN MORE ROMANTIC FOOLISHNESS written about blues in general, and Robert Johnson in particular, than about any other genre or performer of the twentieth century."
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
First Sentence
"THERE HAS PROBABLY BEEN MORE ROMANTIC FOOLISHNESS written about blues in general, and Robert Johnson in particular, than about any other genre or performer of the twentieth century."
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- Created April 30, 2008
- 6 revisions
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August 12, 2010 | Edited by IdentifierBot | added LibraryThing ID |
April 24, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs. |
April 16, 2010 | Edited by bgimpertBot | Added goodreads ID. |
April 14, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Linked existing covers to the edition. |
April 30, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from amazon.com record |