VA • Bottleneck Blues Anthology

 

Up Jumped the Devil The Real Life of Robert Johnson by Bruce Conforth Gayle Dean Wardlow

 

 

An essential story of blues lore, black culture, and American music history

Robert Johnson’s recordings, made in 1936 and 1937, have profoundly influenced generations of singers, guitarists, and songwriters. Yet until now, his short life—he was murdered at the age of 27—has been poorly documented.

Gayle Dean Wardlow has been interviewing people who knew Johnson since the early 1960s, and he was the person who discovered Johnson’s death certificate in 1967. Bruce Conforth began his study of Johnson’s life and music in 1970 and made it his mission to fill in what was still unknown about him. In this definitive biography, the two authors relied on every interview, resource, and document, much of it material no one has seen before.

This is the first book about Johnson that documents his lifelong relationship with family and friends in Memphis, details his trip to New York, uncovers where and when his wife Virginia died and the impact this had on him, fully portrays the other women Johnson was involved with and tells exactly how and why he died and who gave him the poison that killed him.

 

Searching for Robert Johnson The Life and Legend of the "King of the Delta Blues Singers"

 

This highly acclaimed biography from the author of Last Train to Memphis illuminates the extraordinary life of one of the most influential blues singers of all time, the legendary guitarist and songwriter whose music inspired generations of musicians, from Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones and beyond.
 
The myth of Robert Johnson’s short life has often overshadowed his music. When he died in 1938 at the age of just twenty-seven, poisoned by the jealous husband of a woman he’d been flirting with at a dance, Johnson had recorded only twenty-nine songs. But those songs would endure as musical touchstones for generations of blues performers. With fresh insights and new information gleaned since its original publication, this brief biographical exploration brilliantly examines both the myth and the music.
 
Much in the manner of his masterful biographies of Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips, and Sam Cooke, Peter Guralnick here gives readers an insightful, thought-provoking, and deeply felt picture, removing much of the obscurity that once surrounded Johnson without forfeiting any of the mystery. “I finished the book," declared the New York Times Book Review, "feeling that, if only for a brief moment, Robert Johnson had stepped out of the mists.” 

 

VA • Complete History Of The Blues

 

100 songs by the Blues' biggest names from the genre's golden period of 1920-1962. This set contains the artists and songs that changed the musical landscape forever and influenced almost everything that followed. Features songs reintepreted and made more famous by the likes of The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Doors, The Yardbirds, Jack White and many more. This set comes with a 28 page illustrated booklet including discographical information and an essay about this fascinating subject. The perfect snapshot for anyone interested in the genre or those wanting to know how modern rock music was formulated.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-History-Blues-1920-1962/dp/B00QSZ4DD6

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100 canciones de los grandes nombres del Blues de la época dorada del género, entre 1920 y 1962. Este conjunto contiene los artistas y las canciones que cambiaron el panorama musical para siempre e influyeron en casi todo lo que vino después. Incluye canciones reinterpretadas y hechas más famosas por artistas de la talla de The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Doors, The Yardbirds, Jack White y muchos más. Este set viene con un libreto ilustrado de 28 páginas que incluye información discográfica y un ensayo sobre este fascinante tema. La instantánea perfecta para cualquier persona interesada en el género o para quienes deseen saber cómo se formuló la música rock moderna.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-History-Blues-1920-1962/dp/B00QSZ4DD6

VA • We Sang 'Em First

 

Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Huey 'Piano' Smith, Big Joe Turner, Carl Perkins, Big Mama Thornton, Robert Johnson ...