The Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel Music [Paperback]

An overview of blues and gospel music as an expression of twentieth-century black US experience.From Robert Johnson to Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson to John Lee Hooker, blues and gospel artists figure heavily in the mythology of twentieth-century culture. This book provides an overview of both these genres, which together provide an expression of twentieth-century black US experience. Their histories are unfolded and questioned; representative songs and lyrical imagery are analysed; and perspectives are offered from the standpoint of the voice, the guitar, the piano, and also that of the working musician. A concluding chapter discusses the impact the genres have had on mainstream musical culture.From Robert Johnson to Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson to John Lee Hooker, blues and gospel artists figure heavily in the mythology of twentieth-century culture. This book provides an overview of both these genres, which together provide an expression of twentieth-century black US experience. Their histories are unfolded and questioned; representative songs and lyrical imagery are analysed; and perspectives are offered from the standpoint of the voice, the guitar, the piano, and also that of the working musician. A concluding chapter discusses the impact the genres have had on mainstream musical culture.From Robert Johnson to Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson to John Lee Hooker, blues and gospel artists play significant roles in twentieth-century culture. This overview of these genres provides an expression of the twentieth-century black American experience. Histories are questioned; songs and lyrical imagery are analyzed; perspectives are presented from the standpoint of voice, guitar, piano, and working musician. A concluding chapter discusses the impact that the genres have had on mainstream musical culture.1. Surveying the field: our knowledge of blues and gospel music Allan Moore; 2. Labels: identifying categories of blues and gospel Jeff Todd Titon; 3. The develolS)