Sweet bitter blues : Washington, DC's homemade blues / Phil Wiggins and Frank Matheis ; foreword by Elijah Wald.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wiggins, Phil, author.

Matheis, Frank, author.

Wald, Elijah, author of foreword.

Contributor:

Joseph B. Glossberg Fund.

Series:

American made music series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Blues (Music).

Harmonica players.

Blues musicians.

Washington (D.C.).

Wiggins, Phil.

Blues musicians--Washington (D.C.)--Biography.

Harmonica players--Washington (D.C.)--Biography.

Blues (Music)--Washington (D.C.)--History and criticism.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiii, 267 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, [2020]

Summary:

"Sweet Bitter Blues: Washington, DC's Homemade Blues depicts the life and times of harmonica player Phil Wiggins and the unique, vibrant music scene around him, as described by music journalist Frank Matheis. Featuring Wiggins's story, but including information on many musicians, the volume presents an incomparable documentary of the African American blues scene in Washington, DC, from 1975 to the present. At its core, the DC-area acoustic "down home" blues scene was and is rooted in the African American community. A dedicated group of musicians saw it as their mission to carry on their respective Piedmont musical traditions: Mother Scott, Flora Molton, Chief Ellis, Archie Edwards, John Jackson, John Cephas, and foremost Phil Wiggins. Because of their love for the music and willingness to teach, these creators fostered a harmonious environment, mostly centered on Archie Edwards's famous barbershop where Edwards opened his doors every Saturday afternoon for jam sessions. Sweet Bitter Blues features biographies and supporting essays based on Wiggins's recollections and supplemented by Matheis's research, along with a foreword by noted blues scholar Elijah Wald, historic interviews by Dr. Barry Lee Pearson with John Cephas and Archie Edwards, and previously unpublished and rare photographs. This is the story of an acoustic blues scene that was and is a living tradition"-- Provided by publisher.

"The first-ever account of the Washington, DC, blues scene"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword / Elijah Wald

Preface / Frank Matheis

Introduction

Part one: Phil's story

The early years

The Cephas and Wiggins years

Carrying on the legacy on my own

Philharmonica

advice for harmonica players

Part two: the DC acoustic blues scene

Flora Molton / Frank Matheis and Eleanor Ellis

John Jackson

Esther Mae "Mother" Scott

Wilbert "Big Chief" Ellis

Bill Harris

The Festival of American Folklife (Smithsonian folklife festivals)

The Gaines Brothers

An interview with John Cephas / Dr. Barry Lee Pearson

Archie Edwards: barbershop blues / Dr. Barry Lee Pearson

Eleanor Ellis

Archie's famous barbershop

Acknowledgments

Notes

Interviews conducted by Frank Matheis

Discography

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-259) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Joseph B. Glossberg Fund.

ISBN:

9781496826923

9781496826916

1496826914

1496826922

9781496826930

1496826930

9781496826947

1496826949

9781496826954

1496826957

OCLC:

1141865581

Publisher Number:

99984314969