Making it in Hell, says Bruce Jackson, is the spirit behind the sixty-five work songs gathered in this eloquent dispatch from a brutal era of prison life in the Deep South. Through engagingly documented song arrangements and profiles of their singers, Jackson shows how such pieces as "Hammer Ring," "Ration Blues," "Yellow Gal," and "Jody's Got My Wife and Gone" are like no other folk music forms: they are distinctly African in heritage, diminished in power and meaning outside their prison context, and used exclusively by black convicts. The songs helped workers through the rigors of cane cutting, logging, and cotton picking. Perhaps most important, they helped resolve the men's hopes and longings and allowed them a subtle outlet for grievances they could never voice when face-to-face with their jailers.
Experience music history with this memoir by one of the last of the genuine old school Blues and R&B legends, the Grammy-winning dynamic showman Bobby Rush. This memoir charts the extraordinary rise to fame of living blues legend, Bobby Rush. Born Emmett Ellis, Jr. in Homer, Louisiana, he adopted the stage name Bobby Rush out of respect for his father, a pastor. As a teenager, Rush acquired his first real guitar and started playing in juke joints in Little Rock, Arkansas, donning a fake mustache to trick club owners into thinking he was old enough to gain entry. He led his first band in Arkansas between Little Rock and Pine Bluff in the 1950s. It was there he first had Elmore James play in his band. Rush later relocated to Chicago to pursue his musical career and started to work with Earl Hooker, Luther Allison, and Freddie King, and sat in with many of his musical heroes, such as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and Little Walter. Rush eventually began leading his own band in the 1960s, crafting his own distinct style of funky blues, and recording a succession of singles for various labels. It wasn't until the early 1970s that Rush finally scored a hit with "Chicken Heads." More recordings followed, including an album which went on to be listed in the Top 10 blues albums of the 1970s by Rolling Stone and a handful of regional jukebox favorites including "Sue" and "I Ain't Studdin' Ya." And Rush's career shows no signs of slowing down now. The man once beloved for performing in local jukejoints is now headlining major music/blues festivals, clubs, and theaters across the U.S. and as far as Japan and Australia. At age eighty-six, he is still on the road for over 200 days a year. His lifelong hectic tour schedule has earned him the affectionate title "King of the Chitlin' Circuit," from Rolling Stone. In 2007, he earned the distinction of being the first blues artist to play at the Great Wall of China. His renowned stage act features his famed shake dancers, who personify his funky blues and his ribald sense of humor. He was featured in Martin Scorcese's The Blues docuseries on PBS, a documentary film called Take Me to the River, performed with Dan Aykroyd on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and most recently had a cameo in the Golden Globe nominated Netflix film, Dolemite Is My Name, starring Eddie Murphy. He was recently given the highest Blues Music Award honor of B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. His songs have also been featured in TV shows and films including HBO's Ballers and major motion pictures like Black Snake Moan, starring Samuel L. Jackson. Considered by many to be the greatest bluesman currently performing, this book will give readers unparalleled access into the man, the myth, the legend: Bobby Rush.
Take a look in the St. Louis Blues' record books, and the name Bernie Federko is impossible to miss. A skilled, unselfish playmaker, Federko made those around him better; while his journey did lead him to the Hall of Fame, he is regarded by many as one of the most overlooked talents in hockey. In this volume, Federko reflects on his life on and off the ice. From his childhood in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, to years in St. Louis playing with teammates like Brian Sutter and Mike Liut, and his recent years in the Blues' broadcasting booth, this is a refreshing chronicle of a legendary career.
The gang from "Rugrats" are ten years older in the new Nickelodeon animated series "All Grown Up!" These 8 x 8 paperbacks feature Susie on her way to becoming a pop star, and follow Tommy and Chuckie on their first day of fifth grade. Full color.
In this jaunty and intimate collection, Kevin Young invents a language as shimmying and comic, as low-down and high-hearted, as the music from which he draws inspiration. With titles such as “Stride Piano,” “Gutbucket,” and “Can-Can,” these poems have the sharp completeness of vocalized songs and follow a classic blues trajectory: praising and professing undying devotion (“To watch you walk / cross the room in your black / corduroys is to see / civilization start”), only to end up lamenting the loss of love (“No use driving / like rain, past / where you at”). As Young conquers the sorrow left on his doorstep, the poems broaden to embrace not just the wisdom that comes with heartbreak but the bittersweet wonder of triumphing over adversity at all. Sexy and tart, playfully blending an African American idiom with traditional lyric diction, Young’s voice is pure American: joyous in its individualism and singing of the self at its strongest.
The Essence of the Blues by Jim Snidero provides beginners and moderately advanced musicians with an introduction to the language of the blues. In 10 etudes focusing on various types of the blues, the musician learns to master the essential basics step by step. Each piece comes with an in-depth analysis of blues styles and music theory, appropriate scale exercises, tips for studying and practicing, suggestions for improvising, recommended listening, and specific techniques used by some of the all-time best jazz/blues musicians, including Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, B.B. King, Stanley Turrentine, and others. The accompanying play-along CD features world famous New York recording artists including Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Jim Snidero, Steve Davis, Mike LeDonne, Peter Washington, and others. Recorded at a world-class studio, these play alongs are deeply authentic, giving the musician a real-life playing experience to learn and enjoy the blues.
One of the most accomplished nutritional biochemists and medical writers in his field reveals the truth about caffeine and helps you kick the habit forever. Nearly 80% of all Americans are hooked on caffeine, this country's #1 addiction. A natural component of coffee, tea and chocolate, and added to drugs, soft drinks, candy and many other products, the truth about caffeine is that it can affect brain function, hormone balance, and sleep patterns, while increasing your risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, ulcers, PMS, stroke, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Discover a step-by-step, clinically-proven program that reduces your caffeine intake, and effective ways to boost your energy with nutrients, healthy beverages, better sleep and high-energy habits.
(Banjo). Best-selling author Fred Sokolow teaches you how to play blues on the banjo with this instructional book and audio pack! You'll learn: how to play the blues in several banjo tunings; how to play in the styles of blues greats like Mississippi John Hurt, Lightnin' Hopins, B.B. King, Skip James, and many more; licks, scales, chords, turnarounds and boogie backup; several approaches to soloing; how to ad lib blues licks and solos in any key; how to play the blues up and down the neck; and more. Includes these classic blues tunes: Ain't Nobody's Business * Careless Love * Frankie and Johnny * John Henry * The Midnight Special * Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out * See See Rider * St. James Infirmary Blues * St. Louis Blues * and more. Also includes chord grids, standard notation and tablature, audio tracks for all the songs, licks and exercises in the book, with banjo and vocals.
This little book transcends geographical, social, and economic boundaries to search the heart and soul of the blues, looking for rules to live by, hope for the downtrodden, cautionary tales for the good times, and truths that "hurt so good". Sometimes, you just gotta be blue. But, as this book goes to show, that's okay--because you're never alone.
