The Voice of the Blues: Classic Interviews from Living Blues Magazine
Author(s): Jim O'Neal (Author), Amy van Singel (Author), Peter Guralnick (Introduction)
Publisher: Routledge
Publication Date: January 10, 2002
Edition: 1st
Language: English
Print length: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 0415936543
ISBN-13: 9780415936545
Book Description
The Voice of the Blues brings together interviews with many pioneering blues men including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, B.B. King, and many others.
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Authentic American blues music had its heyday from the 1920s through the 1950s. The origins and history of rural and urban blues are well documented, and any real blues fan can identify and discuss the key artists of each era. This work offers, for the first time in book form, the spoken recollections of several key artists. The editors, who provide introductions and postscripts for each interviewee, were cofounders, publishers, and editors of Living Blues Magazine from 1970 to 1987. The lengthy interviews capture the voices of Georgia Tom Dorsey, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, Freddie King, and others. Their words evoke a vivid picture of their passion and love of blues music. Dorsey, for instance, recalls a time when his band played a lively blues set from a flatbed truck to a herd of cows, which were actually listening attentively, at the edge of a pasture. The book paints a picture of an America and a scene, now long gone, that was experienced and revered by generations of music lovers. Recommended for all blues collections and for larger public libraries. Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
“Carefully edited and conscientiously presented…these interviews read like elegant memoirs.” — Peter Guralnick, author of Last Train to Memphis
About the Author
Jim O’Neal and Amy Van Singel were co-founders publishers, and editors of Living Blues magazine from 1970-87. In this capacity, they interviewed many of the most famous blues musicians on the Chicago and international scene. The magazine helped launch and sustain the blues revival, focusing on living bluesmen, as opposed to more scholarly journals that focused on blues history. O’Neill and Van Singel live in Kansas City, Missouri.
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