Preaching Blues: The Life and Times of Robert Johnson

by James Nuttall

James Nuttall’s debut novel Preaching Blues takes us deep into the heart of the Blues era and follows the life of seminal bluesman Robert Johnson through the eyes of Legba, god of crossroads. Legba watches Robert’s life unfold, occasionally nudging him along his path,overseeing Robert’s first atrocious attempts and later his legendary playing. Friends are made and lost, women come and go. Racism and segregation are a part of everyday life and merely tolerated. And while the life of a bluesman is not easy, those who answer it’s call live on past their death.Gritty and evocative, James Nuttall captures the language and speech patterns, as well as the structural racism, that shaped Robert Johnson’s life in the Delta during the 1930s. Based on the true life of Robert Johnson, Preaching Blues offers a fascinating commentary on what happens when we come to a crossroad, the choices we make, and what it means to be immortal.

346 pages, ebook

First published December 15, 2014

About the author

James currently lives with his wife in Tokyo. He teaches English for a living and writes in his spare time. He is interested in just about everything, and generally has a least one book about his person at any given time. He has lived in the Middle East and in Japan for a good chunk of his life. He likes licorice, books with heavy subject matter, history, whisky, old horror movies and Asian culture.
Preaching Blues: The Life and Times or Robert Johnson is his first novel. He wrote it after finding a Robert Johnson CD in Shizuoka, Japan.

Reviews

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blues song is not a happy feel good thing. A good one will not be upbeat, but it will make you feel and if you're inclined, think about what is in the song. It will take you into the pain and ache of the moment and maybe let you see some of lost joy behind the song. Preaching Blues let me feel some of the ache and pain of a hard life and even the occasional moment of Joy.