by Alan Lomax
First published 2002
Alan Lomax calls himself a song hunter. In the 1930s and 1940s, he carries primitive recording equipment through the Mississippi Delta, searching for the music that would define American culture. He travels from town to hamlet, seeking out musicians in juke joints, on porches, and in fields. Lomax records the debut sessions of Leadbelly, Fred MacDowell, and Muddy Waters, among many others who would become blues legends. Through candid conversations with these artists, he documents not just their music but their lives and the landscape that shaped their sound. His journey reveals the energy and soul of people who transformed American musical history. The book captures Lomax's odyssey through moonshine country and cornbread kitchens, bringing readers into a world where the blues first found their voice. Winner of the 1993 National Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, this account preserves the stories of musicians whose influence would spread far beyond the Delta.
Genres: 20th-century, african-american, non-fiction, biography-memoir, music, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intimate-portrait
Setting: Mississippi Delta, United States
Period: 1930s, 1940s
560 pages · Paperback · The New Press