Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast

by Bruce Bastin

A Classic of Blues Literature inductee into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame Drawing on archives and interviews with musicians,  Red River Blues  remains an acclaimed work of blues scholarship. Bruce Bastin traces the origins of the music to the turn of the twentieth century, when African Americans rejected slave songs, worksongs, and minstrel music in favor of a potent new vehicle for secular musical expression. Bastin looks at the blues' early emerging popularity and its spread via the Great Migration, delves into a wealth of field recordings, and looks at the careers of Brownie McGhee, Blind Boy Fuller, Curly Weaver, Sonny Terry, and many other foundational artists.

Genres: Music, History

432 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blues enthusiasts looking for a history of the genre beyond the Delta Blues of the Deep South would thoroughly enjoy this study. Based on fieldwork done throughout the Piedmont region—mainly northern Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia—Bastin carves out a detailed study of the artists’s lives, from greats like Rev. Gary Davis and Blind Boy Fuller to obscure musicians like Richard Trice, Guitar Nubbit, and countless others, and the musical sub genre that emerged as a result. The book concludes by following the influence this music had in areas transformed by the Great Migration. Piedmont blues were, and are, primarily acoustic and often comprised motifs and rhythms found in the ragtime tradition of its day. Cool history aside, I often found myself perusing Spotify to hear samples (a definite plus) and occasionally getting lost with the countless names the author mentioned. In truth, this was difficult for me at times. Although this topic is a special one for me—I’m currently learning to play this genre—the author’s scholastic style makes this a dense and somewhat dry read which the casual reader may find cumbersome. Nevertheless, the deepened appreciation for this black folk tradition of music, of which I am a devoted fan, made trudging through this study worth every effort.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of cool music history information, especially on the immediate area I live in. I use this book as a reference quite often.