Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, folklorist William Ferris toured
his home state of Mississippi, documenting the voices of African
Americans as they spoke about and performed the diverse musical
traditions that form the authentic roots of the blues. Now, Give My Poor Heart Ease
puts front and center a searing selection of the artistically and
emotionally rich voices from this invaluable documentary record.
Illustrated with Ferris's photographs of the musicians and their
communities and including a CD of original music, the book features more
than twenty interviews relating frank, dramatic, and engaging
narratives about black life and blues music in the heart of the American
South.
Here are the stories of artists who have long memories
and speak eloquently about their lives, blues musicians who represent a
wide range of musical traditions--from one-strand instruments,
bottle-blowing, and banjo to spirituals, hymns, and prison work chants.
Celebrities such as B. B. King and Willie Dixon, along with performers
known best in their neighborhoods, express the full range of human and
artistic experience--joyful and gritty, raw and painful.
In an
autobiographical introduction, Ferris reflects on how he fell in love
with the vibrant musical culture that was all around him but was
considered off limits to a white Mississippian during a troubled era.
This magnificent volume illuminates blues music, the broader African
American experience, and indeed the history and culture of America
itself.
This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive after reading it.
thank for the original uploader
No comments:
Post a Comment