Black Music and the Recording Industry in Shreveport
Avenue Breakdown uncovers the rich yet often overlooked legacy of Black music in Shreveport, Louisiana-a city better known for country tunes and the Louisiana Hayride. This compelling history shines a spotlight on the city's vibrant postwar scene, where blues, R&B, jazz, soul, funk, and gospel thrived in Black neighborhoods despite the pressures ......
James P. Johnson (1894-1955) is one of the most important figures in twentieth-century American music. However, few people other than scholars and serious fans know of his life and work. Rare jazz aficionados know him as the Father of Harlem Stride piano but his other monumental contributions to American music are seldom acknowledged. Speakeasies ......
James P. Johnson (1894-1955) is one of the most important figures in twentieth-century American music. However, few people other than scholars and serious fans know of his life and work. Rare jazz aficionados know him as the Father of Harlem Stride piano but his other monumental contributions to American music are seldom acknowledged. Speakeasies ......
Available again in paperback, Going to Cincinnati takes readers into the Queen City's long-overlooked blues scene. Steven C. Tracy's award-winning book blends history and analysis with full biographical sketches of bluesmen like Albert Washington, H-Bomb Ferguson, Big Joe Duskin, Pigmeat Jarrett. The result is a celebrated, one-of-a-kind portrait ......
Race, Redemption, and the Soul of an American Artist
In 1977, when the Voyager deep space probes were launched on their journey into interstellar space, they each carried a gold record containing music from a wide variety of cultures. Of the four selections of American music chosen, one was a recording of Texas street evangelist "Blind" Willie Johnson's haunting gospel song, "Dark Was the Night, ......
Steve Cushing's third volume of interviews from Blues Before Sunrise puts fans face-to-face with music legends and industry figures. The volume kicks off with a roundtable featuring drumming all-stars Earl Phillips, S.P. Leary, Odie Payne, Clifton James, and Fred Below discussing their lives and craft. Cushing segues to one-on-one interviews with ......
Steve Cushing's third volume of interviews from Blues Before Sunrise puts fans face-to-face with music legends and industry figures. The volume kicks off with a roundtable featuring drumming all-stars Earl Phillips, S.P. Leary, Odie Payne, Clifton James, and Fred Below discussing their lives and craft. Cushing segues to one-on-one interviews with ......
Booker "Bukka" White (1905-1977) was one of the most important blues musicians of the twentieth century. The twelve songs he recorded in Chicago in 1940 are considered to be among the finest in country blues. In The Life and Music of Booker "Bukka" White: Recalling the Blues, David W. Johnson traces the trajectory of White's life from his early ......
Booker "Bukka" White (1905-1977) was one of the most important blues musicians of the twentieth century. The twelve songs he recorded in Chicago in 1940 are considered to be among the finest in country blues. In The Life and Music of Booker "Bukka" White: Recalling the Blues, David W. Johnson traces the trajectory of White's life from his early ......
