What do you think?
Rate this book
The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu
Winner ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Outstanding Book on Music
Reuters calls it "one of the wittiest, bawdiest, most fascinating dictionaries ever." Bonnie Raitt "What a great resource--as fascinating as it is informative. Debra's passion for the blues shines through." Wall Street Journal critic Nat Hentoff says it's " invaluable," and producer Hal Willner "It's an invaluable reference book. And it's also great fun to read."
The Language of the Blues is a must-have for fans of blues, jazz, rock and slang. in it, author. rock musician and Huffington Post blogger Debra Devi explores over 150 terms like buffet flat, killing floor, and mojo with fresh insights from her in-depth interviews with blues legends like Hubert Sumlin , Robert Jr. Lockwood , Henry Gray , Bob Margolin , Robben Ford , Jimmie Vaughan and more. "As a musician myself, not a scholar," Devi explains, "I thought I could best make a contribution by talking directly to blues artists about what the words in blues songs mean to them."
The result is a lively read Blues Revue deems "an essential purchase for scholars and fans." New York Times columnist Shelton Ivany adds, "If you have any questions about songs, lyrics, musicians or events, chances are you will find your answers in this unparalleled publication."
The Language of the Blues opens with a remarkable foreword by Dr. John , who helped Devi uncover the illegal gambling origins of terms like "gig" and "axe." This new edition includes over 30 stunning photos of legendary blues artists (17 in color).
Reuters calls it "one of the wittiest, bawdiest, most fascinating dictionaries ever." Bonnie Raitt "What a great resource--as fascinating as it is informative. Debra's passion for the blues shines through." Wall Street Journal critic Nat Hentoff says it's " invaluable," and producer Hal Willner "It's an invaluable reference book. And it's also great fun to read."
The Language of the Blues is a must-have for fans of blues, jazz, rock and slang. in it, author. rock musician and Huffington Post blogger Debra Devi explores over 150 terms like buffet flat, killing floor, and mojo with fresh insights from her in-depth interviews with blues legends like Hubert Sumlin , Robert Jr. Lockwood , Henry Gray , Bob Margolin , Robben Ford , Jimmie Vaughan and more. "As a musician myself, not a scholar," Devi explains, "I thought I could best make a contribution by talking directly to blues artists about what the words in blues songs mean to them."
The result is a lively read Blues Revue deems "an essential purchase for scholars and fans." New York Times columnist Shelton Ivany adds, "If you have any questions about songs, lyrics, musicians or events, chances are you will find your answers in this unparalleled publication."
The Language of the Blues opens with a remarkable foreword by Dr. John , who helped Devi uncover the illegal gambling origins of terms like "gig" and "axe." This new edition includes over 30 stunning photos of legendary blues artists (17 in color).
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
28 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 2, 2020
I've been listening to blues music for over 40 years. There's many phrases and words in the lyrics that I did not understand. Debra not only defines the phrases. She outlines the etymology of the words. There's great anecdotes from musicians, explanations of alternate guitar tunings and more.
March 1, 2018
Far from just a glossary, this is a history of the blues, told through the stories behind its words and images.
Devi traces many, many familiar slang terms, like “cat”, “hip”, “jam”, . . . back to African roots. This was eye-opening to me. Not that I didn’t know that many of the roots of blues music itself were African, but I had no idea that those common words, with seemingly obvious metaphorical significance, might actually be derived from African words — “cat”, for example, from a Wolof word, “katt”, meaning “singer.”
You can doubt Devi’s etymologies, and her histories — sometimes she speaks with a bit more confidence than seems warranted, about the origins of words and phrases, or about the events surrounding them (for example, she states without reservation that Marie Laveau was born in Haiti, despite controversies about her birthplace and even an apparent consensus that she was born in Louisiana).
I’m not an etymologist, so I wouldn’t dare to pass judgement. But I do wonder how strong conclusions about word origins, by even the sharpest word detectives, can really be.
But there’s no doubt that the book is entertaining. I bought it partly on the strength of Dr. John’s endorsement, and the Foreward he wrote for the book. And I had thought I would put it aside, to occasionally dip into or to look up a word or pass a few minutes of boredom. But once I began reading bits and pieces, I decided to read it cover to cover. It’s an easy, fast, compelling read.
It does read like a history book, just one written with page by page changes of perspective. Always entertaining. I learned a lot, and I suspect I’ll come back to read bits and pieces over and over.
Devi traces many, many familiar slang terms, like “cat”, “hip”, “jam”, . . . back to African roots. This was eye-opening to me. Not that I didn’t know that many of the roots of blues music itself were African, but I had no idea that those common words, with seemingly obvious metaphorical significance, might actually be derived from African words — “cat”, for example, from a Wolof word, “katt”, meaning “singer.”
You can doubt Devi’s etymologies, and her histories — sometimes she speaks with a bit more confidence than seems warranted, about the origins of words and phrases, or about the events surrounding them (for example, she states without reservation that Marie Laveau was born in Haiti, despite controversies about her birthplace and even an apparent consensus that she was born in Louisiana).
I’m not an etymologist, so I wouldn’t dare to pass judgement. But I do wonder how strong conclusions about word origins, by even the sharpest word detectives, can really be.
But there’s no doubt that the book is entertaining. I bought it partly on the strength of Dr. John’s endorsement, and the Foreward he wrote for the book. And I had thought I would put it aside, to occasionally dip into or to look up a word or pass a few minutes of boredom. But once I began reading bits and pieces, I decided to read it cover to cover. It’s an easy, fast, compelling read.
It does read like a history book, just one written with page by page changes of perspective. Always entertaining. I learned a lot, and I suspect I’ll come back to read bits and pieces over and over.
September 8, 2014
"Get yourself a black cat bone. Cut your nails to the quick and put the trimmings in a small bag with the black cat bone. During a full moon, bring the bag and your instrument to a lonely crossroads a few minutes before midnight. Kneel in the middle of the crossroads and chant six times: 'Attibon Legba, open the gate for me.'
Now sit cross-legged and play your best song. At the stroke of midnight, you will hear footsteps. Do not look up until they stop in front of you and a hand reaches down to take your guitar. Standing before you will be a tall man dressed in a sharp black suit. Do not speak to him. He will take your guitar, tune it, and play a song. When he hands it back to you, the deal is done and your soul belongs to him."
Now sit cross-legged and play your best song. At the stroke of midnight, you will hear footsteps. Do not look up until they stop in front of you and a hand reaches down to take your guitar. Standing before you will be a tall man dressed in a sharp black suit. Do not speak to him. He will take your guitar, tune it, and play a song. When he hands it back to you, the deal is done and your soul belongs to him."
January 11, 2018
Great overview of terms used in Blues music lyrics. Dictionaries exist that are more comprehensive but this is an excellent place to start.
September 26, 2021
A through look at the words, traditions, and history that gave voice to the blues. Also gives insight into the Voodoo and Santaria religions. As a lover of the blues I found it very enlightening.
October 9, 2012
The author is now listed, on the cover and on her website, as Debra Devi, but the book is the same and it's great. It's basically a dictionary, but one that has enormous amounts of historical, sociological, ethnographic, music and other sorts of information in all of its listings. I learned a tremendous amount about the influences of African culture on America from this book. The research that went into it is extremely impressive. And it's fun to read. And there are songs listed at the end of each entry by way of example of what it is talking about. It took me a lot longer to read it all the way through than it might have otherwise as I was constantly stopping to listen to songs online or look up things that I got more curious about while reading the book. It is a book that should be of interest even to people who don't love blues music, who have the slightest interest at all in linguistics or American history and African culture. I'm keeping it around and I'll pick it up from time to time to leaf through it again.
March 2, 2013
The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu by Debra DeSalvo is an encyclopedia of words and phrases associated with the Blues. Culturally, historically, linguistically and musically well-researched, DeSalvo's book provides deep and wide insight into such items as "black cat bone," "nation sack," "goofer dust," "John the Conqueroo" and "signifying." I found it interesting that a great many of the terms have origins in voodoo and can be traced back to specific areas of West Africa. As I read, I had many "aha" moments and said to myself, "So that's what that means." Now "I believe I'll dust my broom."
April 8, 2012
I need to own this!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews