The blues come to Texas : Paul Oliver and Mack McCormick's unfinished book / compiled by Alan Govenar ; with documentation and essays by Alan Govenar and Kip Lornell.

Format:

• Book

Author/Creator:

• Oliver, Paul, 1927-2017, author.
• McCormick, Mack, author.

Contributor:

• Govenar, Alan B., 1952- editor, contributor.
• Lornell, Kip, 1953- writer of supplementary textual content.

Series:

• John and Robin Dickson series in Texas music.
• John and Robin Dickson series in Texas music

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Blues (Music)--Texas--History and criticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (472 pages).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, [2019]

Summary:

From October 1959 until sometime in 1974, Paul Oliver and Mack McCormick collaborated on what was to be a definitive history and analysis of the blues in Texas. Both men were prominent scholars and researchers: Oliver had already established an impressive record of publications; and McCormick was well on his way to building what would eventually become a sprawling collection of primary materials, consisting primarily of field recordings and interviews with blues musicians from all over Texas and the greater South. But the project eventually fell apart of its own weight, a victim of ongoing disagreements between the two authors. Despite being eagerly awaited by the blues historians and ethnomusicologists who knew about the Oliver-McCormick collaboration and being openly discussed in various interviews and articles by Oliver, the intended manuscript was never brought to completion and the book was never published. In 1996, Alan Govenar, a respected ethnomusicologist in his own right, began a conversation with Oliver, whose work he had long admired, about the unfinished book on Texas blues. At Oliver's request, he arranged a meeting with McCormick, hoping to act as an intermediary, with the goal of aiding the project toward completion. His attempts were unsuccessful. Subsequently, Oliver invited Govenar to assist him in finishing the work. Much like the site report from an archaeological dig, The Blues Come to Texas: Paul Oliver and Mack McCormick's Unfinished Book provides not only a fascinating view into the results of a massive fieldwork and writing effort that is unlikely to ever be duplicated, but also affords scholars of American roots music a glimpse into the minds and work methods of two giants of blues scholarship. Publisher.

Contents:

• Recording the blues and the folk revival: a prelude / by Alan Govenar and Kip Lornell
• Author's preface to the original work / by Paul Oliver
• Volume one
• Introduction: Ninety-eight degree blues
• Old country stomp
• Folio one, folio two
• Sing a while, pick a while
• Silver City bound
• On central tracks
• Suitcase blues
• Long lonesome day
• Out on Santa Fe
• The Houston kick
• San Antonio shout
• Howling wolf
• Huntsville bound
• Flying crow
• California bound
• Tin can alley
• Texas worried blues
• Juneteenth
• Volume two
• African echoes
• Go down old Hannah
• Deck hand and cow hand
• Chock house days
• Boll weevil ballad, boll weevil blues
• Matchbox blues
• Denomination blues
• Days of forty-nine
• Shadowland blues
• Across the tracks: string bands
• Sunshine special
• Texas easy street
• Texas blues, Texas style.

Notes:

• Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62349-639-X