From Robert Johnson to Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson to John Lee Hooker, blues and gospel artists play significant roles in twentieth-century culture. This overview of these genres provides an expression of the twentieth-century black American experience. Histories are questioned; songs and lyrical imagery are analyzed; perspectives are presented from the standpoint of voice, guitar, piano, and working musician. A concluding chapter discusses the impact that the genres have had on mainstream musical culture.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“…an important addition to literature devoted to the discussion of the blues.” Notes
“… [part of] new essentials for public, academic, and musical libraries, and they would enhance high school libraries as well.” Against the Grain
“…This fine collection of essays represents a particularly useful introduction to the blues for undergraduates…The Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel Music effectively enables readers to understand the meanings of these forms of African American music and their legacy.” -Yves Laberge, Institut quebecois des hautes etudes internationales, Quebec City: Journal of American Folklore
Book Description
An overview of blues and gospel music as an expression of twentieth-century black US experience.
About the Author
Allan Moore is Head of the School of Performing Arts at the University of Surrey. He has written widely on popular music and is author of The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Cambridge University Press, 1997), and Rock: The Primary Text (1993).
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