Books like Delta Blues by Ted Gioia
Ted Gioia, noted for his jazz scholarship, chronicles the Mississippi Delta’s music from 19th‑century plantation songs and field hollers to the legendary careers of Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, and B.B. King. His study connects the genre’s humble beginnings to its profound impact on American and worldwide popular music.
First publish date: 2008
Genre: History/Modern History
Authors: Ted Gioia
★
★
★
★
★
0.0 (0 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for Delta Blues by Ted Gioia are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to Delta Blues (15 similar books)
An authoritative history tracing the rise of blues guitar from its early twentieth‑century origins through the Great Depression, spotlighting pioneering musicians such as Sylvester Weaver, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Mississippi John Hurt.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
"Part travelogue, part musical history, Amanda Petrusich's It Still Moves outlines the sounds of the new, weird America - honoring the rich traditions of gospel, blues, country, folk, and rock that feed it while simultaneously exploring the American character as personified by its songs and landscapes. What is Americana? Where does it come from? Through interviews, road stories, and rich music criticism, Petrusich traces the rise of Americana music from its early origins to its new and compelling incarnations - from Elvis to Iron and Wine, the Carter Family to Animal Collective, Johnny Cash to Will Oldham, Charley Patton to Wilco - and explores how the genre is adapting to the twenty-first century."--Jacket.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Paul Oliver’s definitive history of the blues, enriched with over two hundred vintage photographs and a new introduction, chronicles the African American singers, musicians, and settings that birthed this enduring genre.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Alan Lomax chronicles the rise of the blues from the cotton‑rich Mississippi Delta, revealing the hardships of African‑American life, and its influence on legends like Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and modern guitarists.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Samuel Charters chronicles his recordings of blues legends from the 1960s to the 1970s, weaving in essays on blues poetry and country music.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A full study of Buddy Bolden and Bunk Johnson confirming their roles in the real blues roots of New Orleans jazz.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Profiles of pioneering African‑American blues singers Alberta Hunter, Edith Wilson, Victoria Spivey, and Sippie Wallace, with an overview of blues history and the vaudeville circuit.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Blues from the Delta documents the enduring legacy of Mississippi’s blues scene through interviews, photographs, and journalistic research, tracing how 19th‑century cotton cultivation and African‑American labor birthed a musical tradition that thrives to this day.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
An analysis of blues, tracing its history, motivations, and cultural impact, with clear statements about its essence and boundaries.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Marybeth Hamilton’s non‑fiction study examines the myth of the Delta blues, arguing that its celebrated form emerged in the late twentieth century as a product of white collectors’ idealization of unspoiled black singers.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta by Robert PalmerBlind Lemon Jefferson: Against the Grain of the Blues by Paul Nelson
The History of Blues by Francis Davis
Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues by Elijah Wald
The King of the Delta Blues: The Life and Music of Robert Johnson by Samuel Charters
Chicago Blues: The Musical History by housing
The Blues: A Very Short Introduction by Elijah Wald
The Blues: An Anthology by W.C. Handy
Ramble On: The Chat and the Art of the Blues by Michael Frank
Can’t Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters by Robert Gordon
Blues People: Negro Music in White America by LeRoi Jones
Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta by Robert Palmer
The History of the Blues by Samuel Charters
Preachin' the Blues: The Life and Music of B.B. King by Daniel de Vise
The Devil's Music: A History of the Blues by Paul Oliver
Born in the Blues: The Rise of the Blues in America by Michael Corcoran
The Blues: A Very Short Introduction by Elijah Wald
Rough Guide to the Blues by Julian Buck
Mississippi Blues: The New Guinea Connection by Derrick Stewart
The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: The Arts by Charles Reagan Wilson
Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!