Delta Blues, Ted Gioia
Delta Blues, Ted Gioia
1 Rating(s)
List: $29.99 | Sale: $21.00
Club: $14.99

Delta Blues
The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music

Author: Ted Gioia

Narrator: Chris Abernathy

Unabridged: 17 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/16/2021


Synopsis

The definitive account of how the rough sounds of the Mississippi Delta changed the course of American popular music.

The blues grew out of the plantations and prisons, the swampy marshes and fertile cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta. With original research and keen insights, Ted Gioia—the author of a landmark study of West Coast jazz and the critically acclaimed The History of Jazz—brings to life the stirring music of the Delta, evoking the legendary figures who shaped its sound and ethos: Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, B. B. King, and others. Tracing the history of the Delta blues from the field hollers and plantation music of the nineteenth century to the exploits of modern-day musicians in the Delta tradition, Delta Blues tells the full story of this timeless and unforgettable music. No cultural force boasts such humble origins or such world-conquering reverberations. In this evocative rags-to-riches tale, Gioia shows how the sounds of the Delta altered the course of popular music in America and in the world beyond.

About Ted Gioia

Ted Gioia is a music historian and the author of eleven books, including How to Listen to Jazz. His three books on the social history of music-Work Songs, Healing Songs, and Love Songs-have each been honored with ASCAP Deems Taylor Award. Gioia's wide-ranging activities as a critic, scholar, performer, and educator have established him as a leading global guide to music past, present, and future.


Reviews

Goodreads review by robin

Blues Passion For many years, the blues of the Mississippi Delta were all but forgotten. With the combination of cross-over or urbanized performances and scholarly interest, the blues have experienced a resurgence. Ted Gioia's new book "Delta Blues: the Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters who R......more

Goodreads review by Richard

"Blues is the roots and everything else is the fruits" -- Willie Dixon "Blues had a baby and they called it rock and roll" -- Muddy Waters In this book, Ted Gioia gets to the roots of the roots--the Delta Blues, arguably the greatest influence in music today. Gioia brings to life the old Delta masters......more

Goodreads review by Benito

This is a good starting point for any blues research, and it has some amazing stories of lives filled with hardship and plain bad luck, some of which are happily followed by heroic third acts of fame and recognition, if not actual fortune. Gioia helps put the chronology of this musical form that cha......more

Goodreads review by Bobbie

I've been raised in the blues since I was born, and it has always been one of my favorite genres, and it will always blow me away that it never gets the love it deserves. This was a great look into the origins, history, and legends of the genre.......more