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Think about your future and forget about your used-to-bes - W.C. Handy, St. Louis Blues

Author Topic: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House  (Read 3506 times)

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Offline Bunker Hill

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Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« on: December 14, 2010, 11:44:22 AM »
Looks like this is now due for publication next June see http://tinyurl.com/2unlyw8

Offline jostber

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2010, 01:05:33 PM »
Allright, this will be great! Sometimes it takes some time to get these biographies out it seems, but it's worth it!


Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2011, 12:32:43 AM »
Dan Beaumont seems to have created his own web pages

http://www.preachingtheblues.com/

The "media page" contains a short promo video featuring the author.

Offline jostber

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2011, 01:38:06 AM »
Dan Beaumont seems to have created his own web pages

http://www.preachingtheblues.com/

The "media page" contains a short promo video featuring the author.

Thanks. From the web site:

Arcola Records releases new Son House interview and songs in conjunction with Preachin' the Blues

Did not know of this!

More from the American Blues News site:


Son House 1969 live concert to be released by Arcola Records! Bob West of Arcola Records reports of a new new Son House CD, due out in early 2011. It will be a 2 CD release of Son House?s 1969 Seattle concert plus an interview that Bob did with Son at the same time. Bob Groom and Dick Waterman have authored the liner notes for this release. Arcola Records is a small but mighty label with a catalog of important blues CDs, recorded in the 1960s and 1970s, by Furry Lewis and Bukka White (together), Henry Townsend, Big Al Calhoun (an amazing CD by this obscure St. Louis harmonica player with Henry Townsend on guitar), Sunnyland Slim, and Babe Stovall. The Arcola catalog also includes a number of jazz titles.






Offline jostber

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2011, 11:49:49 AM »
Dan Beaumont seems to have created his own web pages

http://www.preachingtheblues.com/

The "media page" contains a short promo video featuring the author.

Thanks. From the web site:

Arcola Records releases new Son House interview and songs in conjunction with Preachin' the Blues

Did not know of this!

More from the American Blues News site:


Son House 1969 live concert to be released by Arcola Records! Bob West of Arcola Records reports of a new new Son House CD, due out in early 2011. It will be a 2 CD release of Son House?s 1969 Seattle concert plus an interview that Bob did with Son at the same time. Bob Groom and Dick Waterman have authored the liner notes for this release. Arcola Records is a small but mighty label with a catalog of important blues CDs, recorded in the 1960s and 1970s, by Furry Lewis and Bukka White (together), Henry Townsend, Big Al Calhoun (an amazing CD by this obscure St. Louis harmonica player with Henry Townsend on guitar), Sunnyland Slim, and Babe Stovall. The Arcola catalog also includes a number of jazz titles.





Here is the new CD release listed on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Son-House-Seattle-1968/dp/B0059889OM

Offline doctorpep

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2011, 08:50:13 PM »
I would like to say that it was a pleasure to read this book. I would put it in the second tier of blues biographies, placing the Josh White one and Willie McTell book in the highest tier, though I'm aware that there has been some criticism of the latter on this site. The book on Mr. House  lacks the brilliant prose of the book by Wald,  and the intense historical research that Michael Gray did.  However,  there is tons of new information on the subject in the book, thanks to numerous interviews that the author did with members of the blues Mafia within the last decade. I do, however, wonder which song the author is talking about when he says that Charlie Patton was famous for a song  called "Maggie". The only tune that comes to mind is a song about Maggie Campbell, a lady whom Tommy Johnson apparently knew. If my take is correct,  then the author made a big mistake in this regard. I also found it interesting how plenty of biographical material was given on Willie Brown, despite the fact that other authors are extremely confused about who Willie Brown was. Does this mean that the conundrum  that plagued Ted Gioia  has been solved?
"There ain't no Heaven, ain't no burning Hell. Where I go when I die, can't nobody tell."

http://www.hardluckchild.blogspot.com/

Offline Bunker Hill

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2011, 05:40:01 AM »
That's interesting. I just assumed, probably erroneously, that "Maggie" was one of his early songs, which remained unrecorded (unlike Pony) but popular enough at the time.  From the three usages of "Maggie" in the book, "Campbell" wasn't a connection I made. Hmm, am I missing something?

Offline dj

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #9 on: July 19, 2011, 05:55:53 AM »
Quote
That's interesting. I just assumed, probably erroneously, that "Maggie" was one of his early songs, which remained unrecorded (unlike Pony) but popular enough at the time.

If I recall correctly, Calt and Wardlow mention Maggie as one of the songs Patton was remembered for, but which he never recorded.  I'm at work right now and can't verify this, but I'll check it tonight if no one beats me to it. 

Note that while Patton never recorded "Maggie", Moon Going down has the same melody as Maggie Campbell. 

Offline blueshome

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2011, 07:14:57 AM »
You are correct dj, it's in the Calt/Wardlow book.

I thought the Willie Brown situation had been cleared up. There's a lengthy post somewhere IIRC.

Offline jharris

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2011, 10:25:29 AM »
From the author:

There is no mistake. Charley Patton was famous in the Delta before 1920 for two songs, "Pony Blues" and "Maggie." He never recorded it. But he refashioned it into many tunes. "Highwater Everywhere" is one version of it. There are many others in his recordings.

I don't know who is confused about Willie Brown. He was born in 1900, and he was a musical student of Patton. After they met in 1930, he was Son House's best friend and musical collaborator. From 1930 - 1943 (when House left Mississippi) House and Brown played together. In every interview he gave Son House talked about him. He said "We were closer than brothers." Brown died of a bleeding ulcer in December, 1952.


Offline dj

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #12 on: July 19, 2011, 11:53:02 AM »
I think the "confusion" about Willie Brown due to Calt/Wardlow's assertion that Patton played with two different Willie Browns in his life.

Quote
There's a lengthy post somewhere IIRC.

Click on the Willie Brown tag for a discussion of this.

Offline doctorpep

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #13 on: July 19, 2011, 08:24:31 PM »
Ted Gioia's "Delta Blues", which is much newer than the Calt/Wardlow collaboration, states that Willie Brown's biography is rather sketchy. I wonder if Gioia came across evidence that contradicts what Calt and Wardlow found.  Considering how Son House talked a lot about Brown, you guys are right; the man's life couldn't possibly be that mysterious. From what I remember, Brown and Kid Bailey are virtual unknowns in Gioia's reading of the music's history, and are mentioned in the same chapter.

Thanks so much for the "Maggie" info.  
« Last Edit: July 19, 2011, 08:25:47 PM by doctorpep »
"There ain't no Heaven, ain't no burning Hell. Where I go when I die, can't nobody tell."

http://www.hardluckchild.blogspot.com/

Offline jpeters609

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #14 on: July 19, 2011, 08:38:58 PM »
Ted Gioia's is a readable overview of the history of the Delta blues. I found it an enjoyable book, but it is really very much a primer. For those who are new to the music, it is a useful introduction. For those already well-versed in the music and its history, it offers little that is new. The author did not seem to conduct independent research into the pre-war stories, relying instead on the same secondary sources that many of us have already read. At this late date, perhaps little "new" research can actually be done (though I try to remain hopeful). Because of this, I don't think Gioia has uncovered or is aware of any hitherto unknown information about Willie Brown, Kid Bailey or any other pre-war figures. (Gioia's liner notes for the new "Centennial Collection" of Robert Johnson's recordings are similarly aimed toward a neophyte audience and are largely a basic summary of Johnson's life and milieu.)
 
Jeff

Offline jharris

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #15 on: July 24, 2011, 06:07:20 PM »
A nice article with a local slant from Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle: Son House Article

Offline oddenda

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #16 on: July 25, 2011, 10:05:30 PM »
Gioia's book is nothing new and too often repeats the same old same old - of minimal importance in the grand scheme of things. He coat-tails on the work of others and is often not up-to-date.

pbl

Offline jostber

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Re: Preachin' the Blues The Life and Times of Son House
« Reply #17 on: July 28, 2011, 01:29:41 PM »
A nice article with a local slant from Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle: Son House Article

That's is a good read, thanks for the link.

« Last Edit: July 28, 2011, 01:31:13 PM by jostber »

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