blues (music)

An ode to babyhood, inspired by the blues artistry of B.B. King, illuminates the woes of being unable to walk, talk, or chew in a world of soggy diapers, mushy meals, and sleeping behind bars.

Contains a CD of original field recordings and a DVD of original film along with over twenty interviews and narratives about Mississippi blues music in the American South.

Chronicles the history and evolution of the blues, charting its origins in African American communities in the Deep South, its increasing popularity, and the ways in which notable musicians each lent their own unique influences and styles to this musical genre.

Traces the history of blues music back to nineteenth-century plantations of the Mississippi Delta, and discusses the musical careers of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, and other Delta musicians.

Presents a collection of essays that explore the history and development of blues music, from Muddy Waters and Otis Spam in the 1960s, to Zydeco and Doopsie in the 1970s and more.

A collection of poems by Kevin Young which follow a classic blues trajectory.

Personal histories of great bluesmen trace the evolution of the blues from Africa to the Mississippi Delta.

The blues revival of the early 1960s brought new life to a seminal genre of American music and inspired a vast new world of singers, songwriters, and rock bands. The Rolling Stones took their name from a Muddy Waters song; Led Zeppelin forged bluesy riffs into hard rock and heavy metal; and ZZ Top did superstar business with boogie rhythms copped from John Lee Hooker. Crossroads tells the myriad stories of the impact and enduring influence of the early-'60s blues revival: stories of the record collectors, folkies, beatniks, and pop culture academics; and of the lucky musicians who learned life-changing lessons from the rediscovered Depression-era bluesmen that found hipster renown by playing at coffeehouses, on college campuses, and at the Newport Folk Festival. The blues revival brought notice to these forgotten musicians, and none more so than Robert Johnson, who had his songs covered by Cream and the Rolling Stones, and who sold a million CDs sixty years after dying outside a Mississippi Delta roadhouse. Crossroads is the intersection of blues and rock 'n' roll, a vivid portrait of the fluidity of American folk culture that captures the voices of musicians, promoters, fans, and critics to tell this very American story of how the blues came to rest at the heart of popular music.

A collection of 120 poems about life and music by California poet laureate Al Young. Includes CD.