John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson : the blues harmonica of Chicago's Bronzeville / Mitsutoshi Inaba.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Inaba, Mitsutoshi, 1964- author.

Series:

Roots of American music, folk, Americana, blues, and country.

Roots of American music, folk, Americana, blues, and country

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Williamson, Sonny Boy, 1914-1948.

Williamson, Sonny Boy.

Harmonica players--United States--Biography.

Harmonica players.

Blues musicians--United States--Biography.

Blues musicians.

Blues (Music).

United States.

Illinois--Chicago.

Blues (Music)--Illinois--Chicago--History and criticism.

Bronzeville (Chicago, Ill.)--Social life and customs.

Bronzeville (Chicago, Ill.).

Genre:

Biographies.

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xx, 213 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2016]

Summary:

John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson was one of the most popular blues harmonica players and singers from the late 1930s through the '40s, Recording for RCA Victor Records and its Bluebird label, Sonny Boy shaped Chicago's music scene with an innovative style. His 1937 recording of "Good Morning, School Girl," followed by many others, including "Early in the Morning," "Decoration Blues," and "Sonny Boy's Jump," made him a hit black audiences in both the North and the South. Unfortunately, his popularity and recording career ended on June 1, 1948, when he was robbed and murdered in Chicago, Illinois. In 1980, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. Mitsutoshi Inaba offers the first full-length biography of this key figure in the evolution of the Chicago blues. Taking readers through Sonny Boy's career, Inaba examines the artist's place in the lineage of blues harmonica performance and how he drew on established traditions and helped to set the blueprint for the growing electric blues scene. Interviews with Sonny Boy's family members and his last harmonica student provide new insights into the character of the man as well as the techniques of the musician. Book jacket.

Contents:

Learning the blues: Jackson, Tennessee: 1914-1937

Reaching new heights: St. Louis and Aurora, Illinois, 1937-1938

Windy City blues: Chicago, 1939-1941

The sound of Bronzeville: 1942-1948

The final days: 1948

Epilogue: Sonny Boy's legacy: 1948-present.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 165-197) and indexes.

ISBN:

9781442254428

1442254424

OCLC:

944394315