Peter Guralnick chronicles the evolution of American roots music by profiling the performers who defined the delta blues and early rock and roll. The narrative combines personal interviews with analytical biography to document the lives of artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Skip James. Guralnick traces the migration of acoustic country blues from the Mississippi Delta to the electric sounds of Chicago’s South Side. He examines the specific recording techniques used at Chess Records and Sun Records, detailing how independent labels captured the raw vocal styles and rhythmic innovations of Charlie Rich and Jerry Lee Lewis.
This book serves historians and musicians looking for a technical and cultural map of mid-century American song. Readers gain an understanding of the socioeconomic pressures that shaped rural blues and the subsequent commercialization of the genre. By documenting archival details and first-hand accounts, the text provides a clear view of how individual instrumentalists transitioned from regional folk traditions to the professional recording industry. Those who study the lineage of modern pop and rock find a factual foundation for how these genres internalized their precursors.
- Published
- 1971
- Language
- EN
