Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey

by Peter Guralnick, Robert Santelli, Christopher John Farley

Rock & roll, jazz, R&B, hip-hop: Without question, today's most popular sounds owe an incalculable debt to that uniquely American musical creation -- The Blues. But the powerful influence of the blues, with its dramatic, artful storytelling about the elemental experience of being alive, is found in the works of some of our most important literary voices as well.

This volume -- a companion to the groundbreaking seven-part documentary series "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues" -- represents a literary sampler every bit as vibrant and original and diverse as the films and music that inspired it. Included in this stunning collection are newly commissioned essays by David Halberstam, Hilton Als, Suzan-Lori Parks, Elmore Leonard, Luc Sante, John Edgar Wideman, and others; timeless archival pieces by the likes of Stanley Booth, Paul Oliver, and Mack McCormick; evocative color illustrations and rare vintage photography; illuminating and in-depth conversations and portraits of musicians, ranging from Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith to John Lee Hooker and Eric Clapton; lyrics of legendary blues compositions; personal essays by the series directors Martin Scorsese, Charles Burnett, Richard Pearce, Wim Wenders, Marc Levin, Mike Figgis, and Clint Eastwood; and excerpts from such literary masters as James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison, Eudora Welty and Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes and William Faulkner.

The result is a unique and timeless celebration of the blues, from writers and artists as esteemed and revered as the music that moved them. In these pages one not only reads about the blues, one hears them, feels them, lives them. "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues" is more than atimeless collection of great writing to be savored and shared: it is an unforgettable initiation into the very essence of American music and culture.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Peter Guralnick is an acclaimed American music critic, author, and screenwriter best known for his deeply researched works on the history of rock and roll. He earned a master’s degree in creative writing from Boston University and soon began writing about blues, country, soul, and early rock music. His two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love, is considered a definitive account of the singer’s life. Guralnick also authored landmark biographies of Sam Cooke and Sam Phillips, earning praise from critics and musicians alike. He has written liner notes for legends like Jerry Lee Lewis and Charlie Rich, winning a Grammy for his notes on Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club. His documentary scripts include Sam Cooke – Legend and Feel Like Going Home, directed by Martin Scorsese. Guralnick’s writing stands apart for its straightforward, unembellished style, earning him a reputation as one of rock’s most respected storytellers. He has taught at Vanderbilt University since 2005 and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010. His recent works include Looking to Get Lost and a forthcoming biography of Colonel Tom Parker. Guralnick lives with his wife, Alexandra, and their family. His extensive archive is housed at the University of North Carolina’s Wilson Library.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This companion book to the PBS series that aired in 2003 is a nice read even if you haven't watched the documentaries. I watched the series in 2003, but didn't pick up this book until ten years later. Luckily, my local library had the complete PBS series on DVD, so one by one, I checked each DVD out and read the correlating section in the book. This practice did open up the documentaries a little more.

The book begins with a brief overview of the history of the blues. If you have read other blues histories, you may want to skip this. It's perfunctory and sheds no new light.

Each documentary is represented by a collection of essays written especially for this book, and excerpts from other books about the blues, or even selections from non-blues books that are about the blues. Each section begins with an essay by the director.

The book ends with a couple of essays on the future of the blues.

I think I enjoyed watching the documentaries this way then I did 10 years ago. Then, I thought some of the docs were thin (still do), but I appreciated all of them a little more now than I did then. If you love the blues this is a good book to read, even if you haven't seen the accompanying films.

[Nate]

Martin Scorsese produced a seven-part film series about the blues for PBS back in 2003. This is a companion to that, essentially a series of essays about various blues topics from different writers. Some essays were previously published while others were commissioned for this book. The opening 50-page essay is a solid history of the genre. The rest vary in quality, but most are interesting reads for blues fans, especially the first-hand accounts and interviews. I came away from this learning some things and with several artists to check out. The parts about Chicago blues were really cool, painting a great picture of that scene in the 60s.

I should note that you don't necessarily need to watch the films to follow along with this book (I've only seen one and aim to fix that).

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Countless number of stories of famous and infamous blues musicians. Divided into sections based on the same subjects/directors who developed blues documentaries. the sections are introduced by the directors, and then contain stories from various writers and musicians.

If you have any interest in blues history, you would love this book.

[Sam Motes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding collection of existential essays on the evolution of the blues that is the companion to the Martin Scorsese ‘The Blues’ documentary series. A must read for any Blues aficionado but as the roots to soul, rap, rock & roll, country, etc it is a great read for any music lover of those genres as well. Beyond that it is a brutal unblinking look into the the impact of slavery, segregation, racism, poverty, a personal wrecking with the love of one with another, and a since of hopelessness that has impacted every facet of our society. Though seemingly just simmering under the surface of the American consciousness to those either blissfully unaware or entrenched in their uncaring bigot beliefs of the plight of their fellow Americans. It has certainly boiled over into the blazing sunlight in 2020 to build hope for a societal reckoning and evolution that is long over due.

My favorite quote from the book that summarizes what I am tying to convey far more succulent than I ever could:

“Africa gave America some of what is now called the blues, but America gave Africa and the world back something else: a music that was something more than it once was. America gave back a sound tempered by hundreds of years of incarceration, a music energized by electric strings, a culture baptized by blood and by sweat and by the mud of the Mississippi.”

If that doesn’t move you to your core, then the blues my friend are not for you. I have note seen the documentary yet, but it is certainly on my must watch list after reading this work.

[Frank McAdam · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of great musical history here as well as some wonderful photographs. The problem is the format. Rather than a sustained narrative, the book is instead divided into sections that correspond to the episodes of Scorsese's documentary series. In each, the director of that particular episode raves for a page or two about how much the blues means to him personally (none of the directors were women); this is followed by short "sound bites" by a variety of authors, some more talented than others, talking briefly about particular blues musicians and quoting the lyrics of one of their songs. While this might work well on television, it's difficult for a reader to follow and maintain interest. The best section is the first - a general history of the blues by Robert Santelli that serves as an introduction.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this collection of essays and pieces, but found it as a whole to be disjointed and uneven. Sure, there are the pieces about loving the blues, such as Martin Scorcese’s writings, and then there are the vignettes by people like Elmore Leonard who tell a personal story related to the blues. This is all good. But understanding the history and evolution of the blues is difficult because this is a book that does not operate from Point A to Point B. People, their stories, their art and their timeframes seem to come and go. Ultimately, the blues finds great strength in the characters that made it and practiced it. You can find them here.

[RetroHound · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bunch of different essays from many people; musicians, journalists, directors, writers, etc. Some very good and insightful writing, and I learned a bit that I did not know before. Always a good thing.

[Mark Pedigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

A companion book to the Martin Scorsese’s The Blues, in which seven directors made seven movies. Rather than a literal history, encyclopedia style, it captures the spirit and essence of the blues. Highly recommended to music fans.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and meticulously put together this book tells the story of the blues in linear way, which I didn't think was possible. While that linear direction is useful it's the books biggest downfall. Blues is extremely varied. Tracing that influence and giving due time to the different subgenres is extremely difficult. On it's own the book is a great resource offering a starting point for people interested in blues. As part of a collection that includes a PBS series and CDs packed full of essentials it's a masterwork. Pair it with The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings.

[Diann Blakely]

RE the series:

PBS’ participation in this congressionally proclaimed “Year of the Blues” consists of a week’s worth of films by luminaries like Wim Wenders, Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese, who produced the entire project. Sunday night’s kickoff documentary, by Scorsese, is typical in that it succeeds when focused on the artists, in this case the old masters Son House, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, in addition to contemporary performers like Willie King, Taj Mahal and the late Othar Turner. Indeed, the performance footage throughout the series is invaluable. But the expository “conversations” between Mahal and Corey Harris sound ploddingly scripted, and the many historical errors reveal that the dog ate somebody’s homework.

More strangely, Scorsese’s African segments make the Dark Continent seem less interesting and exotic than Mississippi, the birthplace of Skip James and J.B. Lenoir, whom Wenders highlights in Monday night’s "The Soul of a Man." While James’ life and work are well known, Lenoir’s aren’t, and through Wenders we see a bluesman keenly in tune with his times, with “Down in Mississippi” and “Vietnam, Vietnam” mirroring American greed and savagery at home and overseas.

Tuesday brings the series’ high point, Richard Pearce’s humanely brilliant "The Road to Memphis," which weaves together the stories of B.B. King; Rosco Gordon, who died right after the film’s completion; and entertainer extraordinaire Bobby Rush, who will surely gain the greater audience he deserves via the release of Pearce’s film. "Warming by the Devil’s Fire," on Wednesday, fails as drama but glows when director Charles Burnett maintains focus on Bessie Smith, Elizabeth Cotten, Victoria Spivey and other great female blues singers. On Thursday, Marc Levin presents "Godfathers and Sons," which spotlights label owner Marshall Chess and rapper Chuck D. Despite the charismatic intelligence of the latter in this episode, the central argument—that rap is the truest descendent of the blues—is unconvincing. Friday and Saturday nights will cover, respectively, the effect of blues on British music in the early ’60s, as chronicled by Mike Figgis, and piano blues, directed by Clint Eastwood.

There are a many things wrong with Scorsese’s project, including factual blunders, racist revisionism, lack of cultural understanding and clumsy dramatizations. The greatness of the project consists in the archives it has pulled together and preserved, as well as some unforgettable moments with contemporary bluesmen, like King and Rush. Do such accomplishments balance the bad? Hell, yes. It’s the devil’s own truth.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really informative look at the history of blues music. I can't wait to get my hands on the DVDs to watch the 7 movies that were produced as a companion to this book.

Now I've got to go out and find some the hidden gems (Books and CDs) that the book highlights for further reading.

[Cathryn Wirth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, if you you love the Blues you will enjoy the shared experiences through storytelling from Ken burns and Martin scorsese, J Geils and more great musicians that were there to share there experiences about what the blues means to them from the very roots, a great history and explanation of the meaning of the language/lyrics of the blues. loved it!

[Michael Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just cracked this open. Marty is my favorite Director of Cinema but is also quite the expert on American music. This is his take on the History and Impact of The Blues. Only thru a chapter but so far so good.

[molly Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a film summary than a history of the blues. A quick read with lots of great photographs. Although interesting, not overly compelling or detailed.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for anyone that wants to learn more about blues music and musicians. While certainly not comprehensive, the stories were fun and interesting.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great starting point for the budding blues aficionado. Makes me want to get ahold of the DVD set. Pair this with the 3 disc MCA Blues Anthology and your on your way!

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of interesting essays, and interviews.

[Chi Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview/intro to the blues, pretty quick read.

[Kevin Gallan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked it alot

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spectacular reference - by the great Peter Guralnick