Reading the Blues

Last year, I tried to catch up with my blues reading.  I got tired of paying a lot of money to basically watch three channels on TV, so I turned off my cable and picked up a lot of books over the year, some of which I'm still reading.  Here's a look at what we got into in 2023.

King of the Blues:  The Rise and Reign of B.B. King - Daniel DeVise:  I'd heard some mixed reviews about this one, but it was actually a pretty compelling read.  DeVise covers the entirety of King's life, from his humble beginnings across the Mississippi Delta to his migration to Memphis and his eventual recording and performing success to his six-decade reign as the King of the Blues.  The author dug deep with interviews with family and friends and was not afraid to look at the man's faults as well as his great qualities, and also goes into the chaos and controversy regarding King's final days and the sordid aftermath.  I also learned more about King than I was expecting to learn with this book, which is always a cool thing.

Making Tracks:  A Record Producer's Southern Roots Music Journey - Scott Billington:  When I first jumped into the blues, I bought a lot of great albums from Rounder Records and Scott Billington produced an awful lot of those albums.  He not only produced blues recordings, but also numerous Zydeco releases, and a ton of New Orleans R&B.  Billington talks about his beginnings and how he ended up in the music business, but he also shares fascinating stories about many of the artists he produced.  I was amazed at how many of these albums I own and it was a lot of fun to hear some "behind the scenes" stories about the records and the musicians.  If you listened to a lot of these artists, you will want to read this.  If you don't know these artists or records, you will want to hear them when you finish this book.

Up Jumped The Devil:  The Real Life of Robert Johnson - Bruce Conforth:  If you're looking for the definitive story about the mysterious blues man, look no further.  I was totally absorbed in this book.  Sure, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about Johnson's life, his travels, and his mysterious death, but Conforth covers it as extensively as anyone else has, or maybe ever will.  Anyone who has any interest in Robert Johnson at all, and if you dig the blues, you have to have some interest, needs to read this book.  And when you get done reading this one, you need to read the one below......

Brother Robert:  Growing Up With Robert Johnson - Annye C. Anderson with Preston Lauterbach:  I heard Ms. Anderson on the Last Fair Deal:  The Robert Johnson Podcast.  She was interviewed by hosts Lauterbach and Elijah Wald.  As you're probably aware, Ms. Anderson was Johnson's half sister and the last living person who knew Johnson well.  They were very close during her younger years and she shares some nice stories about Johnson away from the music and around his family, painting a more complete picture of Johnson.  It also goes into what happened after Johnson's death and how the family was taken advantage of by several who benefitted financially instead of the family.  By the way, Ms. Anderson proudly displays the third photo of Johnson on the cover and reportedly has a fourth photo that she's saving for a future book

The Blues Dream of Billy Boy Arnold - Billy Boy Arnold with Kim Field:  I really enjoyed reading Arnold's story.  His memory and attention to detail is incredible and he tells so many stories about so many blues artists of the 40's, 50's, 60's, etc....all the way up to the current day.  The 88-year-old Arnold is still active on the music scene, having recently signed with Delmark Records, and truly hasn't lost an inch off his fastball over his nearly 70-year career.  His honesty, good humor, and vivid recollections make this one a must-read, especially for Chicago blues fans.  I have to admit that I read this one faster than any of the other books....the stories were just riveting and always entertaining.

Brothers and Sisters:  The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the 70's - Alan Paul:  The Allman Brothers Band encompasses a lot of musical styles, but their roots are firmly entrenched in the blues mixed with rock n' roll, country, jazz, and soul.  They came to define southern rock, but truthfully, no one else really sounded like them when they hit the scene.  This book takes a look at the band after the sudden death of Duane Allman and, later Berry Oakley, and their return from the emotional abyss, and subsequent rebound to their greatest success and their inevitable downfall.  Maybe not every blues fans' cup of tea, but it fills in a few blanks regarding this often-overlooked era of the band's lifetime.

Can't Be Satisfied:  The Life and Times of Muddy Waters - Robert Gordon:  Yes, this is an older book that I recently picked up, but I'm a huge Robert Gordon fan, not to mention a huge Muddy Water fan, so I decided to check it out.  Currently, I'm about halfway through it and I've been surprised at how little I know about this legendary artist.  I will provide more details when I finish reading, so stay tuned....

What have you been reading?  I'd love to hear about it and, hopefully, find more suggestions for reading.  

In Memoriam: 2023 Blues Deaths

Friday Blues Fix pays tribute to those blues people who passed away in 2023.  It doesn't seem like we lost as many as in previous years, but there are some significant names here.  These are all the names I was able to come up with who passed away last year, but if anyone knows of any others, please let me know in the comments and I will add them to the list as we go.

Jeff Beck – British blues-rock guitarist

Huey “Piano” Smith – New Orleans R&B pioneer

Butch Mudbone – Native American bluesman

Thomasina Winslow – New York blues performer

Arthur Lee Williams – Chicago harmonica master

Barrett Strong - R&B singer/songwriter

Billy “The Kid” Emerson – Memphis blues/rockabilly performer

Peggy Scott-Adams – Soul-blues singer

Peter “Chuck” Badie – New Orleans blues/jazz bassist

Chris Johnson – Founder of Deep Blues Festival

Toussaint McCall - Louisiana R&B singer

Eddie Lee Rolling – Clarksdale, MS-based songwriter

Michael Rhodes - Session bassist (toured with Joe Bonamassa) 

Pete Whelen – Publisher/editor of 78 Quarterly magazine

Smilin’ Bobby Smith – Chicago-based singer/guitarist

Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry – Mississippi singer/guitarist

Tina Turner - Blues/rock/R&B/soul singer

Jean Knight - R&B/soul singer

Myles Goodwyn - Singer/guitarist/songwriter

Clarence Avant - Music executive "The Godfather of Black Music"

Chris Strachwitz – Arhoolie Records founder

James Yancy “Tail Dragger” Jones – Chicago bluesman

Willie "The Touch" Hays – Chicago drummer (B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam)

D.C. Bellamy – Kansas City bluesman

R.L. Boyce – Mississippi Hill Country bluesman

Greg “Fingers” Taylor – Mississippi singer/harmonica/keyboard player

Tommy Talton - Guitarist (Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Band, Clarence Carter)

Red Paden - Owner, Red's Lounge (Clarksdale, MS)

Nikki Armstrong - Singer/songwriter/dancer/actress/DJ