Best Blues Magazines?

06 Sep 01 - 11:33 AM (#543438)
Subject: Best Blues Magazines?
From: jj_fatts

Just joined the Mudcat Cafe hoping for more sources of blues inspiration and information since I don't know many people that love the blues...here's my first question...

I've checked out a couple of blues magazines and while they are all great (I really like Living Blues), I'm looking for something that focuses more on the delta blues scene. Anyone know of any quality mags that have great writing and lots of reviews on this particular scene (note: touching upon other types of blues would also be a bonus)? jj fatts

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06 Sep 01 - 12:45 PM (#543513)
Subject: RE: Best Blues Magazines?
From: wysiwyg

Welcome to Mudcat, jj. Look between this post and the the COMPOSE box-- see "Add Thread to Tracer"? If you click that it will send the link for this thread onto your personal page, where you also send and receive and messages between members. If you Trace a thread, then you can easily find it again later to refresh, and to see if others have posted to it.

I mention this because sometimes the blues questions here are not answered as fast as the others, and threads not posted to in a 24-hour period fall off the 1-day page (tho they are still findable by resetting the Age filter).

There is a thread running now about "Spirituals Posted at Mudcat". I am asking all blues loves to look over that list of spirituals, and if you see any you think may have formed a base for a blues tune you know, please post about it in the thread it's in. Can you take a look?

Thanks!

And again, welcome!

~Susan

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06 Sep 01 - 11:03 PM (#544103)
Subject: RE: Best Blues Magazines?
From: ddw

jj — can't help you much with blues magazines, but I'm reading an excellent book at the moment. It's a series of articles called Nothing But The Blues, edited by Lawrence Cohn and published in 1993 by Abbeville Press.

The contents are:

Working On The Building (Roots and Influences), by Samuel Charters

Goin' Up the Country (BVlues in Texas and the Deep South), by David Evans

Country Girls, Classic Blues, and Vaudeville Voices (Women and the Blues) by Richard K. Spottswood

Holy Blues (The Gospel Tradition) by Mark A Humphrey

Bright Lights, Big City (Urban Blues) by Mark Humphrey

Truckin' My Blues Away (East Coast Piedmont Styles) by Bruce Bastin

A Lighter Shade of Blue (White Country Blues) by Charles Wolfe

Don't Leave Me Here (Non-commercial Blues: The Field Trips, 1924-60) by John H. Cowley

Jump Steady (The Roots of R&B) by Barry Pearson

I Once Was Lost, But Now I'm Found (The Blues Revival of The 1060s) by Jim O'Neal

Stanfding At The Crossroads (The Blues Today) by Mary Katherine Aldin.


I'm about halfway through it now and the writing, illustrations, etc. are as good or better than anything I've come across on blues. The only drawback is that it's pricey. Lists for about $40 US (I paid $65 Cdn, with the tax) for a paperback, but I consider it well worth it.

Welcome to Mudcat,

cheers,

david

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07 Sep 01 - 10:02 AM (#544430)
Subject: RE: Best Blues Magazines?
From: jj_fatts

Thanks everyone for your information. Susan, I figured out the trace function but your other words of advice were quite helpful. I'll take a look at your thread.

David, thanks for the book tip. I'll look into it although as a graduate student I've got plenty on my plate to read as of now...perhaps as winter break reading!

jj fatts

p.s. everyone and anyone else contribute your suggestions!

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