Gioia--the author of a landmark study of West Coast jazz and the acclaimed "The History of Jazz"--brings to life the stirring music of the Mississippi Delta, evoking the legendary figures who have shaped its sound and ethos. 38 illustrations.
In this expertly researched, elegantly written, dispassionate yet thoughtful history (Gary Giddins), award-winning author Ted Gioia gives us the rare combination of a tome that is both deeply informative and enjoyable to read (Publishers Weekly, starred review). From the field hollers of nineteenth-century plantations to Muddy Waters and B.B. King, Delta Blues delves into the uneasy mix of race and money at the point where traditional music became commercial and bluesmen found new audiences of thousands. Combining extensive fieldwork, archival research, interviews with living musicians, and first-person accounts with his own calm, argument-closing incantations to draw a line through a century of Delta blues (New York Times), this engrossing narrative is flavored with insightful and vivid musical descriptions that ensure an understanding of not only the musicians, but the music itself (Boston Sunday Globe). Rooted in the thick-as-tar Delta soil, Delta Blues is already a contemporary classic in its field (Jazz Review)."