At 12:30 P.M. Thursday April 21 Lee wired General Edgar Jadwin, head of the Corps of Engineers, "Levee broke at ferry landing Mounds Mississippi eight A.M. Crevasse will overflow entire Mississippi Delta." - J.M. Barry, The Great Mississippi Flood begins
Blues biographies in progress but yet to be published. Anybody add to this?
Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) ? William Donoghue 1998 Robert Lockwood - William Donoghue 1999 Big Bill Broonzy ? Robert Riesman 2000 Lonnie Johnson ? Dean Alger 2004 Mississippi John Hurt ? Phil Ratcliffe 2005 Son House ? Dan Beaumont 2006 Lightnin? Hopkins - Tim O?Brien 2006
BBB was to have been published by Routledge but they pulled out at due to change of publishing policy and is being resubmitted to new publisher. The LJ I know has stalled due to other commitments. The LH seems to be based upon an MA thesis and that's about all I can discover. I?ve got 500 sheets of SBW manuscript sitting on a shelf which was sent to me a decade ago to comment upon. This I duly did and that was the last I heard. Don?t know if the Lockwood even got as far as a draft. The SH is really the only one which might come to fruition before too long.
It's all rather depressing really, unless Delta Dan can bring us some cheery publication news concerning his MJH!
[edited to alter "5000" sheets to 500 in response to a pm which asked "do you really mean five THOUSAND"]
« Last Edit: February 21, 2009, 02:42:42 AM by Bunker Hill »
On the other hand, think of all the substandard biographies that have been published. The bad news you bring up could?in some cases?conceivably be a blessing.
On the other hand, think of all the substandard biographies that have been published. The bad news you bring up could?in some cases?conceivably be a blessing.
Hee, hee. I know that Dean Alger has consulted you vis a vis Lonnie J so that's a plus point for that one.
I really should write a letter to Mr. Guralnick about the whereabouts of Johnny Shines' autobiography. If I get a response, I'll let you guys know all about it=)
Logged
"There ain't no Heaven, ain't no burning Hell. Where I go when I die, can't nobody tell."
I really should write a letter to Mr. Guralnick about the whereabouts of Johnny Shines' autobiography. If I get a response, I'll let you guys know all about it=)
I did when you raised this in August last year and he's never even considered the proposition of writing a biography. Here's part of his response to me:
A MOST worthy project! I would definitely get in touch with Debbie Bond (Ala. Blues Society) -- she'd be a great connection. Johnny's daughter, Caroline, is still in Holt, I believe. And there were various local (Alabama) documentaries that might be helpful -- maybe two (Debbie would know; she and Mike McCracken were very good friends of John's.) Johnny was The Greatest! All best, Peter
On the other hand, think of all the substandard biographies that have been published.
The one thing that worries me is all the research that may disappear with the demise of the biographer. I live in terror that one of these guys will die (or someone else, like Mack McCormick or Pen Bogert) and someone will come into their house, toss all those old papers, and walk out, thinking "job well done".
I know it's not a biography, but the book I'd most like to see is Bengt Olsson's on Memphis.
The one thing that worries me is all the research that may disappear with the demise of the biographer. I live in terror that one of these guys will die (or someone else, like Mack McCormick or Pen Bogert) and someone will come into their house, toss all those old papers, and walk out, thinking "job well done". I know it's not a biography, but the book I'd most like to see is Bengt Olsson's on Memphis.
When I asked Pen about his "Hidden History: The Story of Blues in Louisville" in 2006 he told me he was finishing one on the slave trade in Kentucky and would get back to the other after. As to Bengt, at his death his revised book on Memphis Blues was finished and with publisher's Taylor & Francis. I think it had been given a provisional ISBN! Didn't you alert us to this DJ?
The SH is really the only one which might come to fruition before too long.
Yes there is now a signed contract for this one. No idea when this will be actually released although there is very interesting newly discovered details that need to be added. I'm friends with the author but won't divulge more. There are some suggestions from the publisher regarding some additional info that could be added but this shouldn't take long from what I can surmise. I will say that the draft I've read is quite good and very well written.
Now how could I forget that? Perhaps because Paul Swinton has been working on it for the better part of several decades I'd mentally written it off!
I've only just learnt that in early December Paul suffered a minor heart attack but apparently is well on the road to recovery, and I guess BLJ will be the least of his concerns...