A Bad Woman Feeling Good: Blues and the Women Who Sing Them
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.20 (821 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0393349659 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-04-14 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Jackson shows how high-spirited blues exponents Ma Rainey (later deemed the "Godmother of the Blues") and Bessie Smith ("a legend in her own time") set the stage in the early 20th century by celebrating their unconventionality, bisexuality, and racial pride; they were also instrumental in opening up the recording industry to African-Americans. . not seen by PW. From Publishers Weekly Originally conceived as a U.C.-Berkeley doctoral dissertation, this thoughtful, fluent book contends that female blues singers, through their creative innovations, artistic successes and unconventional lifestyles, have inspired American women to express their individuality for decades. Other singers Jackson discusses (Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams, Whitney Houston, Patti Smith, Lauryn Hill, Courtney Love) are not necessarily blues singers in the t
Along with their successors Billie Holiday, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Janis Joplin, they injected a dose of reality into the often trivial world of popular song, bringing their message of higher expectations and broader horizons to their audiences. Buzzy Jackson combines biography, an appreciation of music, and a sweeping view of American history to illuminate the pivotal role of blues women in a powerful musical tradition. These women passed their image, their rhythms, and their toughness on to the next generation of blues women, which has its contemporary incarnation in singers like Bonnie Raitt and Lucinda Williams (with whom the author has done an in-depth interview). An exciting lineage of women singers--originating with Ma Rainey and her protegee Bessie
Compelling take on blues history Some readers may be familiar with the general contours of the lives of the women presented here--Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Aretha Franklin, and others. But the way that Jackson weaves together these stories against the tapestry of 20th Century American culture is original and compelling. Jackson convincingly shows how different woman blues singers (and later rock and alt country singers) drew on each other's work for inspiration. Their contributions were cultural and social as well as artistic. Most importantly, for po. Blues Lover said Where are all the blues women?. It's not what is said in this book, but what is not. When Elvis Presley gets more space then Memphis Minnie, and Ike Turner gets more pages then Dinah Washington. I began to frown. Where is Big Maybell? Where is Big Mama Thronton? Where is Ruby Glaze? Where is Bessie Tucker? Where is Lucille Bogan? Where is Victoria Spivey? Where is Sippy Wallace? Where is Alberta Hunter? Where is Bonnie Lee? Where is Julia Lee? Where is Nellie Lutcher? Where is Ivy Smith? Where is Katie Webster? Where is Lil Johnson? Where is Bernice. Wonderful writing about an under reported subject David S. Newman Excellent, telling of a story not well known