Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis

Jeff Todd Titon

University of North Carolina Press, 1994 - Music - 318 pages

Hailed as a classic in music studies when it was first published in 1977, Early Downhome Blues is a detailed look at traditional country blues artists and their work.



Combining musical analysis and cultural history approaches, Titon examines the origins of downhome blues in African American society. He also explores what happened to the art form when the blues were commercially recorded and became part of the larger American culture. From forty-seven musical transcriptions, Titon derives a grammar of early downhome blues melody. His book is enriched with the recollections of blues performers, audience members, and those working in the recording industry.



In a new afterword, Titon reflects on the genesis of this book in the blues revival of the 1960s and the politics of tourism in the current revival under way.

Contents

• The Singers Perspective: 30
• Pony Blues: 63
• Banty Rooster Blues: 65
• Dead Drunk Blues: 66
• Stranger Blues: 67
• Jacksonville Blues: 68
• Dupree Blues: 70
• Original Blues: 71
• Early Morning Blues: 72
• One Time Blues: 74
• Number Three Blues: 79
• Lonesome Blues take 1: 81
• Lonesome Blues take 2: 83
• How Long How Long Blues: 85
• Prison Bound Blues: 88
• Bumble Bee: 89
• M and O Blues: 91
• Lonesome Home Blues: 92
• The Jail House Blues: 93
• Maggie Campbell Blues: 95
• Whiskey Moan Blues: 96
• Mean Conductor Blues: 97
• Lost Wandering Blues: 99
• Mama Taint Long fo Day: 101
• Barbecue Blues: 102
• Poor Mans Blues: 104
• Me and My Gin: 106
• That Will Be Alright: 107
• Sunshine Special: 109
• Got the Blues III: 111
• Long Lonesome Blues: 113
• 44 Blues: 114
• My Black Mama part 1: 116
• Dry Spell Blues part 1: 119
• Minglewood Blues: 120
• Roll and Tumble Blues: 121
• Fo Day Blues: 122
• It Wont Be Long: 124
• Writin Paper Blues: 126
• Im So Glad Im Twentyone Years Old Today: 127
• Biddle Street Blues: 128
• Mistreatin Mamma: 129
• Dying Pickpocket Blues: 131
• Bootlegging Blues: 132
• K C Moan: 133
• James Alley Blues: 134
• Yellow Girl Blues: 135
• Toward a SongProducing System: 137
• Formulaic Structure and Meaning in Early Downhome: 175
• Recording the Blues: 193
• The Cultural Significance of Race Record Advertisements: 218
• APPENDIX: 287
• Bibliography: 305
• Index: 313

About the author

Jeff Todd Titon is professor of music at Brown University and author of Downhome Blues Lyrics, Powerhouse for God, and Give Me This Mountain.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis; Cultural studies of the United States
• Author: Jeff Todd Titon
• Edition: 2, illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press, 1994
• Original from: the University of California
• Digitized: Sep 15, 2010
• ISBN: 0807844829, 9780807844823
• Length: 318 pages
• Subjects: Music / History & Criticism