The Blues: A Visual History, 100 Years of Music That Changed the World

by Mike Evans

Originating in the African-American communities of the Deep South in the late nineteenth century, the blues gave birth to jazz, R&B, rock, punk, and country. From the impassioned slide guitar of the Mississippi Delta, to the electric sounds of Chicago's street corners, to the improvised jams of blues- rock, The Blues explores the many forms this quintessentially American music has taken. All the great pioneers are here, including Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, and John Lee Hooker, along with the many musicians they influenced who put their own unique spin on the genre.
 
As well as tracing the evolution of the blues through its various styles, this musical journey features profiles of no fewer than fifty key artists—including fact files with biographical information, recording histories and more.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Southern

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way back in the golden time 'The American Folk Blues Festival' toured the U.K. from '62 right through the decade. I was a fifteen year old in '68 when I caught the tour at Manchester's Free Trade Hall to see Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Williams, T-Bone Walker, Curtis Jones, Eddie Taylor, Big Walter 'Shakey' Horton, Jerome Arnold and J.C. Lewis.
'The Blues-A Visual History' published in the U.K. in 2014 is a superb and fully comprehensive history of the roots and fruits, and as Marshall Chess writes in his Foreword, "it will take you on a journey from the humble beginnings of the blues over a century ago, to the performers of today."
Almost all the artists that I saw in '68 are featured in this book as well as country blues, R & B, Soul, the U.K. blues revival into blues rock, up to the present day performers in the genre.
The book is crammed with pictures and biographies of the great bluesmen covering over one hundred years of development.
Shame to have to return this one to the library!

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-done, well-illustrated, fascinating history of this amazing brand of music. Awesome collection of photographs to illustrate this coffee table-type book.

[Paul Gaglio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good introduction to the blues. The author does an excellent job finding vintage and rare memorabilia spanning the era. The author delves into the different sub genres of blues which I didn’t expect. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the Blues

[Brad McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about Blues History. It's a fascinating story. This particular tome traced the history without giving into the infoglut that would come with listing as many artists as possible and their most important works. Mr. Evans does list quite a few but errs on the side of moderation and limits the mini-biographies.

In addition to giving a timeline of The Blues, he picks a few artists and gives them profiles. These remind me of baseball cards: brief bio, recording debut, instruments, and then a hit list. Great idea even if he couldn't feasibly include enough artists to please everyone.

Then, since it's a visual history, come the pictures. Great photos of artists, records, flyers, and all sorts of good stuff. These help paint a fuller picture of the history of The Blues than the not-even 300 pages would allow. And as with all good Blues books, there's a recommended play list at the end.

If you like The Blues, this book is for you. If you don't well, why did you read this entire review anyway?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and designed, this history of the blues is lush with description, and compelling with sidebars and context-establishing stories. Not at all an in-depth nor comprehensive history, but one that will entice novices and younger readers alike.

[Keith Veeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a more than casual interest in Blues music, and want to begin learning the history of the "music that changed the world", this book should be your first stop.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book. Wonderful and interesting. The pictures from the early blues periods are a real treat.

[Mills College Library]

781.64309 E9282 2014