Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues

Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues
ISBN-10
0062018442
ISBN-13
9780062018441
Category
Biography & Autobiography
Pages
368
Language
English
Published
2012-04-24
Publisher
Harper Collins
Author
Elijah Wald

Description

The life of blues legend Robert Johnson becomes the centerpiece for this innovative look at what many consider to be America's deepest and most influential music genre. Pivotal are the questions surrounding why Johnson was ignored by the core black audience of his time yet now celebrated as the greatest figure in blues history. Trying to separate myth from reality, biographer Elijah Wald studies the blues from the inside -- not only examining recordings but also the recollections of the musicians themselves, the African-American press, as well as examining original research. What emerges is a new appreciation for the blues and the movement of its artists from the shadows of the 1930s Mississippi Delta to the mainstream venues frequented by today's loyal blues fans.

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