“For seven decades, the gospel singer Mavis Staples has troubled the opposition between chorus and soloist, background and lead.”
blues
Posted inCuration
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
In this edition: Eschatolgy, Texas style; dancing like nobody’s watching; the men, they myths, the legends; monumental responses; and notes fit for a King.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Ballad of Ollie Jackson
“How the baddest man int he St. Louis underworld failed to become a folk hero.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Bluff City Blues
“The National Guard come to Memphis on the day of the Country Blues Festival.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Who Killed the Mercy Man?
“An obscure murder keeps resurfacing in Black story and song.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Hellhounds on His Trail: Mack McCormick’s Long, Tortured Quest to Find the Real Robert Johnson
“For decades, the Houston folklorist labored over his biography of the legendary bluesman. Seven years after McCormick’s death, the book is finally out—and so are the secrets long kept by its troubled author.”
Posted inNonfiction
More Than a Feeling: A Blues Reading List
A hundred years on from its birth, the music continues to speak to the heart — an art form that also serves as social commentary, communal history, and cathartic release.
Posted inFeature
“I Had to Face the Blues Every Day”
Soul and gospel singer Candi Staton let no hardship stand in the way of her voice, one that helped define the music of her generation.
Posted inStory
The Proving Grounds: Charley Crockett and the Story of Deep Ellum
Generations of musicians got their start busking the streets of the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. After a decade of ‘hobo-ing’ around cities like New Orleans, Paris, and New York, Charley Crockett discovered it was his turn.
Posted inArts & Culture, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Shelved: Jimi Hendrix’s Black Gold Suite
The genius guitarist’s autobiographical, multi-song fantasy album sat in his drummer’s apartment for twenty years. Now in the care of the Hendrix estate, will it ever see the light of day?