From Robert Johnson to Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson to John Lee
Hooker, blues and gospel artists figure heavily in the mythology of
twentieth-century culture. The styles in which they sang have proved
hugely influential to generations of popular singers, from the wholesale
adoptions of singers like Robert Cray or James Brown, to the subtler
vocal appropriations of Mariah Carey. Their own music, and how it
operates, is not, however, always seen as valid in its own right. This
book provides an overview of both these genres, which worked together to
provide an expression of twentieth-century black US experience. Their
histories are unfolded and questioned; representative songs and lyrical
imagery are analysed; perspectives are offered from the standpoint of
the voice, the guitar, the piano, and also that of the working musician.
The book concludes with a discussion of the impact the genres have had
on mainstream musical culture.
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