Beyond the Crossroads

Beyond the Crossroads PDF Author: Adam Gussow
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469633671
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
The devil is the most charismatic and important figure in the blues tradition. He's not just the music's namesake ("the devil's music"), but a shadowy presence who haunts an imagined Mississippi crossroads where, it is claimed, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson traded away his soul in exchange for extraordinary prowess on the guitar. Yet, as scholar and musician Adam Gussow argues, there is much more to the story of the devil and the blues than these cliched understandings. In this groundbreaking study, Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure. The book culminates with a bold reinterpretation of Johnson's music and a provocative investigation of the way in which the citizens of Clarksdale, Mississippi, managed to rebrand a commercial hub as "the crossroads" in 1999, claiming Johnson and the devil as their own.

Beyond the Crossroads

Beyond the Crossroads PDF Author: Adam Gussow
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469633671
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
The devil is the most charismatic and important figure in the blues tradition. He's not just the music's namesake ("the devil's music"), but a shadowy presence who haunts an imagined Mississippi crossroads where, it is claimed, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson traded away his soul in exchange for extraordinary prowess on the guitar. Yet, as scholar and musician Adam Gussow argues, there is much more to the story of the devil and the blues than these cliched understandings. In this groundbreaking study, Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure. The book culminates with a bold reinterpretation of Johnson's music and a provocative investigation of the way in which the citizens of Clarksdale, Mississippi, managed to rebrand a commercial hub as "the crossroads" in 1999, claiming Johnson and the devil as their own.

A Little Devil in America

A Little Devil in America PDF Author: Hanif Abdurraqib
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 1984801201
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A sweeping, genre-bending “masterpiece” (Minneapolis Star Tribune) exploring Black art, music, and culture in all their glory and complexity—from Soul Train, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Whitney Houston, and Beyoncé ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Dallas Morning News, Publishers Weekly “Gorgeous essays that reveal the resilience, heartbreak, and joy within Black performance.”—Brit Bennett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half “I was a devil in other countries, and I was a little devil in America, too.” Inspired by these few words, spoken by Josephine Baker at the 1963 March on Washington, MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow and bestselling author Hanif Abdurraqib has written a profound and lasting reflection on how Black performance is inextricably woven into the fabric of American culture. Each moment in every performance he examines—whether it’s the twenty-seven seconds in “Gimme Shelter” in which Merry Clayton wails the words “rape, murder,” a schoolyard fistfight, a dance marathon, or the instant in a game of spades right after the cards are dealt—has layers of resonance in Black and white cultures, the politics of American empire, and Abdurraqib’s own personal history of love, grief, and performance. Touching on Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Billy Dee Williams, the Wu-Tan Clan, Dave Chappelle, and more, Abdurraqib writes prose brimming with jubilation and pain. With care and generosity, he explains the poignancy of performances big and small, each one feeling intensely familiar and vital, both timeless and desperately urgent. Filled with sharp insight, humor, and heart, A Little Devil in America exalts the Black performance that unfolds in specific moments in time and space—from midcentury Paris to the moon, and back down again to a cramped living room in Columbus, Ohio. WINNER OF THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL AND THE GORDON BURN PRIZE • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AND THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Boston Globe, NPR, Rolling Stone, Esquire, BuzzFeed, Thrillist, She Reads, BookRiot, BookPage, Electric Lit, The Rumpus, LitHub, Library Journal, Booklist

Up Jumped the Devil

Up Jumped the Devil PDF Author: Bruce Conforth
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1641600977
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 347

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Book Description
The Penderyn 2020 Music Book Prize (UK edition) Living Blues Critics Choice Best Blues Book of 2019 Living Blues Readers Choice Best Blues Book of 2019 Certificate of Merit in the Best Historical Research in Recorded Blues, Soul, Gospel, or R&B category from ARSC (Association for Recorded Sound Collections) An essential story of blues lore, black culture, and American music history Robert Johnson's recordings, made in 1936 and 1937, have profoundly influenced generations of singers, guitarists, and songwriters. Yet until now, his short life—he was murdered at the age of 27—has been poorly documented. Gayle Dean Wardlow has been interviewing people who knew Johnson since the early 1960s, and he was the person who discovered Johnson's death certificate in 1967. Bruce Conforth began his study of Johnson's life and music in 1970 and made it his mission to fill in what was still unknown about him. In this definitive biography, the two authors relied on every interview, resource, and document, much of it material no one has seen before. This is the first book about Johnson that documents his lifelong relationship with family and friends in Memphis, details his trip to New York, uncovers where and when his wife Virginia died and the impact this had on him, fully portrays the other women Johnson was involved with and tells exactly how and why he died and who gave him the poison that killed him. Up Jumped the Devil will astonish blues fans worldwide by painting a living, breathing portrait of a man who was heretofore little more than a legend.

Devil's Music, Holy Rollers and Hillbillies

Devil's Music, Holy Rollers and Hillbillies PDF Author: James A. Cosby
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476662290
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
Rock music today is universal and its popular history is well known. Yet few know how and why it really came about. Taking a fresh look at events long overlooked or misunderstood, this book tells how some of the most disenfranchised people in a free and prosperous nation strove to make themselves heard--and changed the world. Describing the genesis of rock and roll, the author covers everything from its deep roots in the Mississippi Delta, key early figures, like deejay "Daddy-O" Dewey Phillips and gospel star Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and the influence of so-called "holy rollers" of the Pentecostal church who became crucial performers--Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.

Devil's Bargain

Devil's Bargain PDF Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1504080645
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
First in a supernatural series from the acclaimed bestselling author: “Filled with murder, mystery, bad ass chicks and a good ole kick in the head twist.” —Under the Covers Book Blog A disgraced former detective walks into a bar and . . . gets funding for a private investigation agency? If it didn’t happen to Jazz Callender, she wouldn’t believe it either. All she has to do is partner up with a national security risk known as Lucia Garza, accept one-hundred thousand dollars, and take on assignments that seem to have no purpose. Easy-peasy. But when Jazz gets shot and one of their surveillance subjects winds up dead, the women aren’t so thrilled. They need answers—fast. And what they uncover about their mysterious new employer will rock their worlds. For Jazz and Lucia have become pawns in a psychic game of chance with much more than their own futures on the line . . . “Rachel Caine gives us a major savvy, swift and smart heroine in a tense, fast-paced story that demands to be read in one sitting! I’m addicted for life and can’t wait for her next book!” —P. N. Elrod, author of Drawing Dead and Other Stories “A fast paced, action packed thriller with a paranormal twist.” —Book’d Out

Devil's Parody

Devil's Parody PDF Author: Tom Rieber
Publisher: Tom Rieber Author
ISBN: 0984750010
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
Lured by a five-million dollar prize, six gamblers are trapped by their own greed and find themselves playing against each other for their lives in a deadly game of chance. People begin to disappear as a maniacal sociopath plays at his own twisted game. That's wher I come in, white horse and all.My name is Nick Thomas. I'm a struggling but contented mystery writer whose noble intentions and errant judgement often lead me into precarious situations that take resource and imagination to survive. That's where I begin to shine.I'm a Viet Nam vet, recovering alcoholic, and self-proclaimed philosopher of life who lives in an old cottage by the sea on Cape Cod. I wear blue jeans, listen to the Rolling Stones, drive a tempermental old MG, and I am indeed a lucky man. I've been given a second chance in life. I have a great woman by my side, good friends who are there when I need them, and I'm doing what I love to do. Sounds perfect, right? But as always, life laughs while we make our contented way.

Devil's Due

Devil's Due PDF Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1504080653
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
The New York Times–bestselling author of Devil’s Bargain brings back two kick-ass female private investigators in a case of premonitions and peril. While Jazz Callender is recuperating from nearly losing her life during their first case for the mysterious Cross Society, Lucia Garza hires a new investigator to their firm: none other than Ben McCarthy. The former Kansas City cop has finally been exonerated of murder, and just in time. Jazz and Lucia have received a new red letter. But instead of instructions for a high-priority case, this missive contains nothing but a warning: “One of you has made a mistake.” And it’s on letterhead from the Cross Society’s major adversary in a psychic war. With Ben filling them in on his past secretive dealings with the organization, Jazz and Lucia start to believe they may be in bed with the enemy, one that they’ve underestimated at their own peril . . . Praise for Devil’s Bargain “Rachel Caine gives us a major savvy, swift and smart heroine in a tense, fast-paced story that demands to be read in one sitting! I’m addicted for life and can’t wait for her next book!” —P. N. Elrod, author of Drawing Dead and Other Stories “Filled with murder, mystery, bad ass chicks and a good ole kick in the head twist.” —Under the Covers Book Blog “A fast paced, action packed thriller with a paranormal twist.” —Book’d Out

Devil's Breath

Devil's Breath PDF Author: Anna Paxton
Publisher: Bella Books
ISBN: 1642476609
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
In the murky depths of Louisiana’s bayou, a child’s skull emerges, unleashing a nightmare for Deputy Claire Duvall and fellow officer Jess Morgan. As bodies pile up and dark rituals unfold, they race against time to catch a killer who believes he’s destined to become a god. Amidst the chaos of drug busts and attempts on the sheriff’s life, Claire and Jess find comfort in each other’s arms. But the new relationship is tested when they become the final pawns in a madman’s deadly game. With the help of Voodoo gods and their own courage, can Claire and Jess survive the night of the killer’s ascension? Or will they become the last sacrifices in his twisted path to divinity? Devil’s Breath is a heart-pounding thriller that blends police procedural with supernatural suspense, creating a uniquely chilling tale of love, faith, and the battle against unspeakable evil.

Bits and Hits in the Devil's Verse

Bits and Hits in the Devil's Verse PDF Author: George William Louttit
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description


Jazz and Death

Jazz and Death PDF Author: Walter van de Leur
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 135137317X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Jazz and Death: Reception, Rituals, and Representations critically examines the myriad and complex interactions between jazz and death, from the New Orleans "jazz funeral" to jazz in heaven or hell, final recordings, jazz monuments, and the music’s own presumed death. It looks at how fans, critics, journalists, historians, writers, the media, and musicians have narrated, mythologized, and relayed those stories. What causes the fascination of the jazz world with its deaths? What does it say about how our culture views jazz and its practitioners? Is jazz somehow a fatal culture? The narratives surrounding jazz and death cast a light on how the music and its creators are perceived. Stories of jazz musicians typically bring up different tropes, ranging from the tragic, misunderstood genius to the notion that virtuosity somehow comes at a price. Many of these narratives tend to perpetuate the gendered and racialized stereotypes that have been part of jazz’s history. In the end, the ideas that encompass jazz and death help audiences find meaning in a complex musical practice and come to grips with the passing of their revered musical heroes -- and possibly with their own mortality.