ALL ABOUT THE BLUES: A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

compiled by

Gilmer Cook, doctoral student, Department of English, Purdue University

This bibiography was compiled under the direction of BCC Librarian Dorothy Ann Washington

Publication date: November 16, 2007

BOOKS AND ARTICLES

Baker, Houston A. 1984. Blues, ideology, and Afro-American literature : a vernacular theory. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

810.9896073 B173b (BCC & HSSE)

Baraka, Imamu Amiri. 1999. Blues people : Negro music in white America. 1st Quill ed. New York: William Morrow.

780.8996073 J72b (BCC, HSSE & Undergraduate)

Bastin, Bruce. 1986. Red River blues : the blues tradition in the Southeast. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

784.5300975 B296r (HSSE)

Bearden, William. 2006. Memphis blues : birthplace of a music tradition. Charleston, SC: Arcadia.

784. 5300975 B296r (HSSE)

Bessman, J. I. M. 2000. Everybody's Got The Blues. Billboard 112 (23):47.

Booth, Stanley. 1969. The Rebirth Of The Blues: Soul. Saturday Evening Post 242 (3):26.

Bourgeois, Anna Stong. 1996. Blueswomen : profiles of 37 early performers, with an anthology of lyrics, 1920-1945. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland.

782.42/1643/0922 B666d (HSSE Reference)

Bragg, Rick. 2002. Driving the Blues Trail, In Search of a Lost Muse. New York Times 151 (52093):F1.

Charters, Samuel. Seeking the greatest bluesman. American Heritage 42 (4):50.

Charters, Samuel Barclay. 1967. The bluesmen; the story and the music of the men who made the blues. New York,: Oak Publications.

781.57309 C385b (HSSE)

———. 1977. The legacy of the blues : a glimpse into the art and the lives of twelve great bluesmen : an informal study. 1st American ed. New York: Da Capo Press.

781.643092 C385L 1977 (BCC & HSSE)

———. 1981. The roots of the blues : an African search. Boston: M. Boyars.

781. 643092 c385L 1977 (BCC & HSSE)

Cheseborough, Steve. 2004. Blues traveling : the holy sites of delta blues. 2nd ed. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.

781.64309762 C424b 2004 (BCC)

Cobb Jr, Charles E., and William Albert Allard. Traveling the blues highway. National Geographic 195 (4):42.

Daley, Mike. 2003. "Why Do Whites Sing Black?": The Blues, Whiteness, and Early Histories of Rock. Popular Music & Society 26 (2):161.

Davis, Angela Yvonne. 1998. Blues legacies and Black feminism : Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday. 1st ed. New York: Pantheon Books.

782.421643082 D29b 1998 (Undergraduate)

Davis, Francis. 1995. The history of the blues. 1st ed. New York: Hyperion.

781.64309 D92h 1995 (BCC)

Dicaire, David. 2002. More blues singers : biographies of 50 artists from the later 20th century. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland.

781. 643092273 D547m 2002 (HSSE)

Ephland, John. Home of the blues. Downbeat 61 (8):6.

Garon, Paul, and Beth Garon. 1992. Woman with guitar : Memphis Minnie's blues. New York: Da Capo Press.

782.421643092 M519B, G19, 1992 (HSSE)

Green, Stephen, Laurence J. Hyman, and B. B. King. 1990. Going to Chicago : a year on the Chicago blues scene. San Francisco: Woodford Pub.

782. 421643092 M519B G19 1992 (HSSE)

Grossman, Stefan, Stephen Calt, and Hal Grossman. 1973. Country blues songbook. New York,: Oak Publications.

781. 6430977311 G826g 1990 (BCC)

Guralnick, Peter. 1982. The listener's guide to the blues. New York: Facts on File.

783. 756 G914c (HSSE Oversize)

Guralnick, Peter, and Martin Scorsese. 2003. Martin Scorsese presents the blues : a musical journey. 1st ed. New York: Amistad.

784. 53 G96L (Undergraduate)

Gussow, Adam. 2002. Seems like murder here : southern violence and the blues tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

781. 64309 M365 2003 (HSSE)

Harris, Sheldon. 1981. Blues who's who : a biographical dictionary of blues singers. New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press.

784.5300922 H243b (BCC)

Hart, Mary L., Brenda M. Eagles, and Lisa N. Howorth. 1989. The blues : a bibliographical guide, Music research and information guides ; vol. 7. New York: Garland Pub.

785. 5300922 H243b Reference (BCC & HSSE)

Hiett, John. The Roots of Jazz: The Blues Era (Music). Library Journal 115 (2):126.

———. Wild Women Don't Have the Blues. Library Journal 115 (8):125.

Leadbitter, Mike. 1971. Nothing but the blues: an illustrated documentary. London,: Hanover Books Ltd.

784 L469n (HSSE)

Levecq, Christine. 2004. Blues Poetics and Blues Politics in Walter Mosley's "RL's Dream." African American Review 38 (2):239.

Marvin, Thomas F. `Preachin' the Blues': Bessie Smith's secular religion and Alice Walker's The Color Purple. African American Review 28 (3):411.

McKee, Margaret, and Fred Chisenhall. 1993. Beale black & blue : life and music on black America's main street. Louisiana pbk. ed. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.

781.6430976819 M194b 1993 (BCC)

Mitchell, Elvis. 2003. The Blues: A History, A Homage. New York Times 152 (52618):E1.

Moore, Allan F. 2002. The Cambridge companion to blues and gospel music, Cambridge companions to music. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.

781.643 C144 2002 (HSSE)

Nall, Hiram. 2001. From Down South to Up South: An Examination of Geography in the Blues. Midwest Quarterly 42 (3):306.

Oliver, Paul. 1970. The story of the blues. [London]: Barrie & Jenkins.

784.4973 OL4s (HSSE)

Olsson, Bengt. 1970. Memphis blues and jug bands. London,: Studio Vista.

786. 0672 OL8m (HSSE)

O'Meally, Robert G. 1991. Lady Day : the many faces of Billie Holiday. New York: Da Capo Press.

781. 643 H717B (Undergraduate)

Plumpp, Sterling. 1989. Blues : the story always untold. Chicago

Oak Park, IL: Another Chicago Press ;

Distributed in the U.S. by ILPA.

811.54 P736b, 1989 (BCC)

———. 1999. Blues : narratives. Chicago

Chicago: Tia Chucha Press ;

distributed by Northwestern University Press.

811. 54 P736bL (BCC)

Rowe, Mike. 1981. Chicago blues : the city & the music. New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press.

781. 5730973 R784c (HSSE)

Santoro, Gene. 1990. Music. Nation 251 (11):393.

Schroeder, Patricia R. 2004. Robert Johnson, mythmaking, and contemporary American culture, Music in American life. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

782.421643092 J636Z Sch76 2004 (HSSE)

Smith, Ayana. 2005. Blues, criticism, and the signifying trickster. Popular Music 24 (2):179.

Sonnier, Austin M. 1994. A guide to the blues : history, who's who, research sources. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.

781.64309 So59g, 1994 (Undergraduate)

Taft, Michael. 2006. The blues lyric formula. New York: Routledge.

781. 643014 T125b 2006 (HSSE)

The, Editors, Toni Morrison, and Cornel West. 2004. Blues, Love and Politics. Nation 278 (20):18.

Tracy, Steven C. 1988. Langston Hughes & the blues. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

818.5209 H874Z, T674 (BCC & HSSE)

———. 1993. Going to Cincinnati : a history of the blues in the queen city, Greater Cincinnati bicentennial history series. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

781. 6430977178 T674g 1993 (HSSE)

Wald, Elijah. 2005. Escaping the Delta. 1st Amistad pbk ed. New York: HarperCollins.

782.421643092 J636B W142 2005 (HSSE)

Weaver M., Afaa, and Joanne Peterson. Poetic Expressions. Abafazi 10 (1).

Weinraub, Bernard. 2003. Spinning Blues Into Gold, the Rough Way. New York Times 152 (52410):1.

Weissman, Dick. 2005. Blues : the basics. New York: Routledge.

781.64309 W438b 2005 (Undergraduate)

Wyman, Bill, and Richard Havers. 2001. Bill Wyman's [blues odyssey]. 1st American ed. London ; New York: DK Pub.

781.64309 W98b 2001 (Reference) (BCC)

Yurchenco, Henrietta. `Blues fallin' down like hail' recorded blues, 1920s-1940s. American Music 13 (4):448.

MEDIA

I can't be satisfied

early American women blues singers : town & country. Vol. 2, Town. 1997. New York: YAZOO : manufactured by Shanachie Entertainment Corp. sound recording. 1 sound disc : digital ; 4 3/4 in.

Down in black bottom : lowdown barrelhouse piano : classic piano rags, blues and stomps from the 1920s and 30s. 1999. s.l.: Yazoo division of Shanachie Entertainment. sound recording. 1 sound disc : digital ; 4 3/4 in. + booklet (15p.)

Piano blues

a film by Clint Eastwood. 2003. New York, NY: Columbia Music Video. sound recording. 1 videodisc : sd. b&w with col.; 4 3/4 in.

Belafonte, Harry, David Belafonte, Albert C. Pryor, and Leonard De Paur. 2001. The long road to freedom: an anthology of black music. New York: Buddha Records. Burnett, Charles, Martin Scorsese, Jelly Roll Morton, Ma Rainey, Son House, Billie Holiday, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Tommy McClennan, Bessie Smith, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James, Waters Muddy, W. C. Handy, Charley Patton, Rosetta Tharpe, Stephen James Taylor, Mildred Jones, John Lee Hooker, and Memphis Jug Band. 2003. Warming by the Devil's fire

a film by Charles Burnett. New York, NY: Columbia Music Video. sound recording. 1 videodisc : digital ; 4 3/4 in.

Cobb, Joyce. 2003. Beale Street Saturday night. Memphis, TN: Center for Southern Folklore. sound recording. 1 sound disc : digital ; 4 3/4 in.

Figgis, Mike, Louise Hammar, Shirani Sabratnam, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, Lulu, Martin Scorsese, Paul G. Allen, Jody Patton, Ulrich Felsberg, Red Mullet Productions., Road Movies Filmproduktion., Vulcan Productions., Cappa Productions., Jigsaw Productions., Sony Music Entertainment Inc., and Columbia Music Video (Firm). 2003. Red, white & blues. New York: Sony Music Entertainment : Manufactured by Columbia Music Video. videorecording. 1 videodisc (126 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.

Mike Figgis' film mixes interviews with dozens of the key players of the British blues movement with new music from an all-star jam session at the Abbey Road studios.

Halpert, Herbert, John Avery Lomax, Ruby T. Lomax, Alan Lomax, Mary Elizabeth Barnicle, Benjamin Albert Botkin, and Archive of Folk Culture (U.S.). 1999. Negro work songs and calls. Cambridge, Mass.: Rounder Select. sound recording. 1 sound disc : digital ; 4 3/4 in.

Hoffman, Lawrence, and Bruce Talbot. 1996. Mean old world. Washington, D.C.

Universal City, CA: Smithsonian Institute ;

MCA. sound recording. 4 sound cassettes : analog + 1 guide (89 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.)

McNeil, W. K. 1993. The blues : Smithsonian collection of classic blues singers. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Collection of Recordings. sound recording. 4 sound cassettes : analog, Dolby processed + 1 booklet (94 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.)

Moore, Gatemouth, Louis Guida, and Co-Media Inc. 1992. Saturday night, Sunday morning: the travels of Gatemouth Moore. San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel. videorecording. 1 videocassette (70 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 1/2 in.

This film documents, through interviews and early photographs, the life of Arnold Dwight "Gatemouth" Moore, a prominent blues singer who left the stage at the height of his career to preach and sing gospel music. Among those interviewed are Moore, Rufus Thomas, Andrew Chaplin, Jr., B.B. King, and Benjamin Hooks.

Pearce, Richard, Robert Kenner, Robert Gordon, B. B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon, Hubert Sumlin, David Johansen, Wolf Howlin, Ike Turner, Gatemouth Moore, Milton Little, Rufus Thomas, Richard Little, Fats Domino, Martin Scorsese, Paul G. Allen, Jody Patton, Road Movies Filmproduktion., Vulcan Productions., Cappa Productions., Jigsaw Productions., Sony Music Entertainment Inc., and Columbia Music Video (Firm). 2003. The road to Memphis. New York: Sony Music Entertainment : Manufactured by Columbia Music Video. videorecording. 1 videodisc (119 min.) : sd., b&w with col. ; 4 3/4 in.

Traces the musical odyssey of B.B. King to Memphis and pays homage to the great blues musicians of the Memphis tradition. Filmed on the occasion of the great reunion in which Memphis musicians returned to honor their roots.

Smith, Bessie. 2002. The gold collection. Europe: Dejavu Retro. sound recording. 2 sound discs : digital ; 4 3/4 in.

Van Valkenburgh, Carol Doyle, Christine Dall, Koko Taylor, Calliope Films Inc., and California Newsreel (Firm). 1989. Wild women don't have the blues. San Francisco, CA: California Newsreel. videorecording. 1 videocassette (57:52 min.) : sd., col. and b&w ; 1/2 in.

History of pioneering blues women, including Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Ida Cox, and others, with dozens of performances of their works.

Wenders, Wim, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Richard Pearce, Charles Burnett, Marc Levin, Mike Figgis, Paul G. Allen, Jody Patton, Ulrich Felsberg, Road Movies Filmproduktion., Vulcan Productions., Cappa Productions., Jigsaw Productions., Public Broadcasting Service (U.S.), Corporation for Public Broadcasting., WGBH (Television station : Boston Mass.), Sony Music Entertainment Inc., and Columbia Music Video (Firm). 2003. The blues, a musical journey. New York: Sony Music Entertainment : Manufactured by Columbia Music Video. videorecording. 7 videodiscs (780 min.) : sd., b&w with col. ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 guide ([12] p. : ill. ; 19 cm.)

The blues is a seven-part documentary film series exploring the evolution of the blues, featuring rare archival performance footage of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon ... et al., also including over 100 newly-filmed performances by contemporary artists such as B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Beck ... et al. singing classic blues songs.

WEBSITES AND DATABASES

African American Music Reference

(http://aamr.alexanderstreet.com ; searchable from any on-campus computer)

African American Music Reference will contain 50,000 pages that offers the first comprehensive coverage of blues, jazz, spirituals, civil rights songs, slave songs, minstrelsy, rhythm and blues, gospel, and other forms of black American musical expression. This release includes 1145 essays and images from 30 sources, over 12072 pages

The Delta Blues Museum 2007. [cited 23 July 2007]. Available from http://www.deltabluesmuseum.org.

The Blues 2007. 2003 [cited 25 July 2007]. Available from http://www.pbs.org/theblues/.

Fruteland Jackson 2007. 2003 [cited 26 September 2007]. Available from http://www.fruteland.com/programs.html.

The Blues Foundation 2007. 2003-2007 [cited 16 September 2007]. Available from http://www.blues.org/.

Hickerson, Joseph C. 2007. A bibliography of the blues. Library of Congress, 7 March 2007 [cited 26 July 2007]. Available from http://www.loc.gov/folklife/guides/BibBlues.html.