Woman with guitar : Memphis Minnie's blues / Paul and Beth Garon.
| Author/creator | Garon, Paul, 1942- |
| Other author | Garon, Beth. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Da Capo Press, 1992. |
| Description | xi, 332 pages : illustrations, music ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Part I: The Life. The heroine; Woman with guitar: the rise of Memphis Minnie; Southern nights; Chicago days; Me and my chauffeur; "I drink anywhere I please"; "The best thing goin'" -- Part II: The Songs. To make heard the interior voice; Bumble bee; Crime; Dirt Dauber blues; Doctors and disease; Doors; Dirty dozens; Duets; Food and cooking; Horses; Trains and travel; Mad love; Work. |
| Abstract | Universally recognized as one of the greatest blues artists, Memphis Minnie (1897-1973) wrote and recorded hundreds of songs. Blues people as diverse as Muddy Waters, Johnny Shines, Big Mama Thornton, and Chuck Berry have acknowledged her as a major influence. At a time when most female vocalists sang Tin Pan Alley material, Minnie wrote her own lyrics and accompanied her singing with virtuoso guitar playing. Thanks to her merciless imagination and dark humor, her songs rank among the most vigorous and challenging popular poetry in any language. This is the first full-length study of the life and work of this extraordinary free spirit, focusing on the lively interplay between Minnie's evolving artistry and the African American community in which she lived and worked. Drawing on folklore, psychoanalysis, critical theory, women's studies, and surrealism, the authors' explorations of Minnie's songs illuminate the poetics of popular culture as well as the largely hidden history of working-class women's self-emancipation. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-318) and index. |
| Bibliography note | Discography: pages 257-282. |
| Biographical note | Paul Garon has written about the blues for over thirty years. A co-founder of Living Blues, he is the author of The Devil's Son-in-Law and Blues and the Poetic Spirit. Woman with Guitar is Beth Garon's first book. The Garons live in Chicago, where they run a rare-book business. |
| LCCN | 92000312 |
| ISBN | 0306804603 : |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk | ML420.M376 G4 1992 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |