Help: Delta Blues History

Subject: Delta Blues History
From:
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 01:59 AM

Hello...My name is Robert Acosta, I am 15 years old. I would think it would be real great if there would be a movie based on Robert Johnson, I find his story, well the little I have read on him quite intresting. I feel there should be a movie after him because blues history and culture I find is fading. I am from Louisiana, and If someone out there would really care to help I would love to learn more about the Mississippi Delta, and the Blues that came out of it. So if anyone has any books that i should check out...movies i should watch....also websites i can look at email me at

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Mudcatter
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 05:04 AM

Try the Delta Blues Museum for a selection of books and videos etc

Also, this page has a lot of good links

A search on Google for 'Delta Blues History' also brings up a lot more links

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 12:31 PM

Robert, I compliment you on your interest in Robert Johnson. There are two films available that examine his life. One is a documentary put together by John Hammond and featuring Robert's friend Johnny Shines. The other is narrated by Danny Glover and has a lot of commentary by those he influenced, people like Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. Sorry, but I don't have the names of the films. Perhaps someone else can give you that information.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 12:48 PM

From: Lion Robert, the search for more Delta Blues information will take you on a life long journey. I became interested at age 17, over 40 years ago. I believe that the blues will never leave you. Try the library, Paul Oliver is an author you will enjoy. Also, a series of books called Blacks, Whites and Blues. Don't know the author of those. I never enjoyed the Lomaxes because I felt they exploited the singers/musicians for their own ends. Although the Lomaxes were compiling information for the Library of Congress and you can find those publications too.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: M.Ted
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 07:12 PM

Not withstanding EJ's opinion, you should check out Alan Lomax's book, "The Land Where the Blues Began", it is not only one of the best books on the blues I've ever read, it is tells about a part of our history that seldom is written about--

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 09:42 PM

Another of the early creators of jazz was Buddy Bolden. A haunting, fictional (very few facts known) recreation of the time is "Coming Through Slaughter" by Michael Ondaatje. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the early days of jazz.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 Aug 01 - 10:31 PM

Yazoo has a CD called "The Roots of Robert Johnson" . I haven't heard it a yet, but it's available at CAMSCO. ALong with a lot of Delta Bluesmen who preceded Johnson.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 03:12 PM

"I became interested at age 17, over 40 years ago"

Damn, Lion! Have you been lyin about your age all these years? That makes you about 6 years older than I thought!

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Benjamin
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 04:10 PM

I would recomend the video The Search For Robert Johnson made by (as mentioned above) John Hammond featuring Robert's friends Dave "Honeyboy" Edwards and Johny Shines. A lot of the stories are told first hand by people who knew Robert.
Alan Lomax's book The Land Where the Blues Began is one of, if not, the best books on the history of the blues ever writen. It contains an interview with Roberts mother (he was dead by this point) and he talks about Robert with Son House.
I would recomend these two sources if your interesteda about delta blues history and Robert Johnson.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 04:57 PM

That was no lie! I just feel 6 years older than I am. Although, judging from your comments of late LEJ, I don't look any older than when you met me! See you at dinner. Love, as always, Lion

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: gus C
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 08:54 PM

Listen to Charlie Patton.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 22 Aug 01 - 05:47 AM

I've mentioined it before on these threads but the 3-CD set (no doubt available from Camsco)"Beg, Borrow and Steal" has one CD of Johnson's precursers, one of his own recordings and one of those he influenced. Fascinating.
RtS (I think I'll dust my broom)

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: IanC
Date: 22 Aug 01 - 06:31 AM

treb

You could try the Basic Folk Library permathread. The genres/blues section here has quite a few useful books.

Cheers!
Ian

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 05:03 PM

Try obtaining Arhoolie and Yazoo catalogues. Also, try to get a part time job, as you'll need money to buy all this stuff. Believe me, after visiting your local record/cd store and any used music stores you'll have used up your college fund. Look out for Butterbeans and Susie, although not Delta, are terrific. Also, Memphis Minnie. Regards, lion (not LEJ)

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 12:02 PM

There is a fascinating map here: Birthplaces of Mississippi Blues Artists.

The mapmaker was able to cram a lot of information into his map by his judicious use of color and symbols.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: The Mole Catcher's Apprentice (inactive)
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 12:16 PM

don't have the names of the films. Perhaps someone else can give you that information.

Can't You Hear The Wind Howl ?

starring Keb' Mo' as Robert Johnson
narrated by Danny Glover

1997

The Search For Robert Johnson

John Hammond

2006

Charlotte (on the trail of the hell hound)

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 12:42 PM

Lion,

The series you're thinking of was called Blues Paperbacks, and it was published by Studio Vista. It consisted of a series of approx 100 page monographs by individual authors, under the editorship of Paul Oliver. Blacks Whites and Blues, written by Tony Russell was part of the series.

The series has been long out of print, although three titles have been republished in one volume as Yonder Come The Blues. The titles in question are: Savannah Syncopators (Paul Oliver), Blacks, Whites and Blues(Russell)and Recording the Blues (Dixon and Godrich). Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Also, John Fahey's volume on Charley Patton has been republished as part of Revenant's massive, and massively expensive, retrospective on Patton; Screaming and Hollering the Blues.

"From: Lion Robert...................a series of books called Blacks, Whites and Blues. Don't know the author of those...................."

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Tweed
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 05:11 PM

Read Deep Blues by Robert Palmer and then watch the DVD.

Both are completely great. See Robert Palmer, New York Times writer and Rolling Stones chronicler take Dave Stewart of the Eurhythmics to Beale Street's voodoo shops, down to Senatobia and Holly Springs Mississippi to jam with Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside. RL teaches Dave a couple things in the process. It's a really fine documentary.

Another one is "You See Me Laughin", which is very deep aslo. Hear Arkansas bluesman Cedell Davis, stricken with polio and crippled in all extremities, tell of when he got trampled by the crowd at a juke house when someone started waving a gun around. Cedell plays slide guitar with a butter knife clenched in his twisted up fingers and makes his living.
Listen to James "T-Model" Ford tell of when he was a young boy getting such a beating from his father that it busted his nutsack open. This is a hardass blues documentary and will give you a good look at where this stuff really comes from.

These guys didn't have to sell nothing to the Devil. They was in Hell most all the time already.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 06:31 PM

May I compliment this thread?

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: GUEST,pattyClink
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 08:31 PM

Good map link Jim, thanks.

One footnote for the record, the Delta highlighted in blue is of course not squared off like that and does not include the Jackson area.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: GUEST,pattyClink
Date: 01 Mar 08 - 08:47 PM

This is a cool little clip about the diddley-bow, from a longer documentary The Land Where Blues began.


youtube

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 12:39 AM

Wonder whatever happened to Robert Acosta, who was fifteen when this thread began? Wonder if he's sold his soul to the devil yet ...

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Tweed
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 08:53 AM

I was wondering the same thing.

He may have gotten the bug and moved off to Mississippi by now.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: M.Ted
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 01:01 PM

Robert Palmer' "Deep Blues" is entertaining reading. It should be read with the understanding that his various narrators were, by trade, storytellers, whose stories were recounted for their entertainment value, rather than for objective accuracy.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Stringsinger
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 01:08 PM

"I never enjoyed the Lomaxes because I felt they exploited the singers/musicians for their own ends."

If it wasn't for the Lomaxes, Alan in particular, many of these blues musicians would never
have been rediscovered. Alan recorded McKinley Morganfield for Library of Congress who became Muddy Waters.

Son House, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Furry Lewis, Bukka White and other formerly obscured
blues artists were recorded and presented to the public by Alan.

Alan could be irascible and strongly opinionated but there is no disputing his contribution
to the body of music we call folk or blues. He was the trailblazer. He never made that much money compared to a Lonnie Donegan who did exploit Leadbelly for financial gain.

It's become fashionable to diss Lomax because so many other folklorists have appeared on the scene but they are standing on Alan's shoulders.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: GLoux
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 01:02 PM

Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues by Elijah Wald is an excellent book. I highly recommend it.

-Greg

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: PoppaGator
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 01:17 PM

Since this thread first appeared in '01, Martin Scorsese has produced, and PBS has aired, that great multi-part documentary on the Blues, now availble for sale or rent as a series of DVDs.

I'm sure that the now-20-something Robert Acosta knows about that, and unless he lost interest in the meanwhile, has probably seen all the episodes at least once. I wonder if he's still in Louisiana; if he was living anywhere near the Gulf Coast, he might be permanently displaced since August '05.

Subject: RE: Help: Delta Blues History
From: Tweed
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 09:48 PM

Anybody try emailing him?? He might still be out there.