Deep Blues

A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta

"A lucid . . . entrancing study" —Greil Marcus

Blues is the cornerstone of American popular music, the bedrock of rock and roll. In this extraordinary musical and social history, Robert Palmer traces the odyssey of the blues from its rural beginnings, to the steamy bars of Chicago’s South Side, to international popularity, recognition, and imitation. Palmer tells the story of the blues through the lives of its greatest practitioners: Robert Johnson, who sang of being pursued by the hounds of hell; Muddy Waters, who electrified Delta blues and gave the music its rock beat; Robert Lockwood and Sonny Boy Williamson, who launched the King Biscuit Time radio show and brought blues to the airwaves; and John Lee Hooker, Ike Turner, B. B. King, and many others.

"Palmer has a powerful understanding of the music and an intense involvement in the culture." —The Nation

Prologue: "It Wasn't No Big Money, but We's Doin' It"

Part I
Chapter 1: Beginnings
Chapter 2: Heart Like Railroad Steel

Part II
Chapter 3: Mojo Hand
Chapter 4: Chicago Pep

Part III
Chapter 5: King Biscuit Time
Chapter 6: I Believe I'll Dust My Broom
Chapter 7: Kings of Rhythm

Epilogue: The World Boogie

Discography
Bibliography
Index

Robert Palmer was the New York Times's first full-time rock writer and chief pop critic (1976–1988) and has been a contributing editor at Rolling Stone since the early seventies. He has taught courses in American music at Yale, Carnegie-Mellon, Bowdoin, the University of Mississippi, and Brooklyn College, where he was the first senior research fellow of the Institute for Studies in American Music to teach and write a musicological monograph on rock and roll. He is the author of Deep Blues and other books, and served as writer and music director for two award-winning documentary films, The World According to John Coltrane and Deep Blues. Since producing the latter film's soundtrack CD for Atlantic Records, he has produced a number of raw juke-joint blues CDs for the Fat Possum label, winning a number of polls and awards. He acted as the chief advisor to the ten-part WGBH/BBC series. View titles by Robert Palmer

About

"A lucid . . . entrancing study" —Greil Marcus

Blues is the cornerstone of American popular music, the bedrock of rock and roll. In this extraordinary musical and social history, Robert Palmer traces the odyssey of the blues from its rural beginnings, to the steamy bars of Chicago’s South Side, to international popularity, recognition, and imitation. Palmer tells the story of the blues through the lives of its greatest practitioners: Robert Johnson, who sang of being pursued by the hounds of hell; Muddy Waters, who electrified Delta blues and gave the music its rock beat; Robert Lockwood and Sonny Boy Williamson, who launched the King Biscuit Time radio show and brought blues to the airwaves; and John Lee Hooker, Ike Turner, B. B. King, and many others.

"Palmer has a powerful understanding of the music and an intense involvement in the culture." —The Nation

Table of Contents

Prologue: "It Wasn't No Big Money, but We's Doin' It"

Part I
Chapter 1: Beginnings
Chapter 2: Heart Like Railroad Steel

Part II
Chapter 3: Mojo Hand
Chapter 4: Chicago Pep

Part III
Chapter 5: King Biscuit Time
Chapter 6: I Believe I'll Dust My Broom
Chapter 7: Kings of Rhythm

Epilogue: The World Boogie

Discography
Bibliography
Index

Author

Robert Palmer was the New York Times's first full-time rock writer and chief pop critic (1976–1988) and has been a contributing editor at Rolling Stone since the early seventies. He has taught courses in American music at Yale, Carnegie-Mellon, Bowdoin, the University of Mississippi, and Brooklyn College, where he was the first senior research fellow of the Institute for Studies in American Music to teach and write a musicological monograph on rock and roll. He is the author of Deep Blues and other books, and served as writer and music director for two award-winning documentary films, The World According to John Coltrane and Deep Blues. Since producing the latter film's soundtrack CD for Atlantic Records, he has produced a number of raw juke-joint blues CDs for the Fat Possum label, winning a number of polls and awards. He acted as the chief advisor to the ten-part WGBH/BBC series. View titles by Robert Palmer

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more