Book Review: The Rough Guide To The Blues by Nigel Williamson

Everyone gets the blues. But for many of today's listeners, the blues might evoke a dreary, dusty sound that has little to do with modern times.

That's a mistake – give them a chance, and you'll find that 70- or 80-year-old tunes by the likes of Big Bill Broonzy or Blind Willie McTell have an authentic human voice that can't be faked. Listen through the haze of years, and the roaring power of Howlin' Wolf or the deadpan swing of Muddy Waters can still have the power to transport you. The blues reeks of history, but it's a past that's still very much alive and kicking. A new book and CD Rough Guide To The Blues is your ticket to delve into this world.

Nigel Williamson, author of the excellent Rough Guide To Bob Dylan, has crafted a sweeping survey of the blues, from its earliest African roots right on up to young blues-inspired kids like Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Pretty much every blues name you can think of is included in this book, and a companion CD compilation provides a chance to hear the unforgettable sound of the blues at its best.

In a concise but information-filled 75 pages or so of introduction, Williamson takes a look at blues history, starting from its dark roots in the African slave trade, and moving through the years up to the 1960s when a blues revival added a critical ingredient to the new sound of rock 'n' roll. Along the way, Williamson looks at blues sub-genres like Mississippi Delta blues, slide guitar, zydeco, British blues and many more.

The meat of the book is an enormous A to Z encyclopedia of the blues, profiling dozens of famous and obscure musicians and labels from throughout the years, including many recommended playlists of tunes. You've got the big names given nice capsule biographies, like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Bessie Smith. But equally as fascinating to me were the tales of forgotten bluesmen I'd never even heard of, like Daddy Stovepipe, Bo Weavil Jackson or Speckled Red. Some died young in knife fights or froze to death in the cold; some lived long into their 80s or 90s, long enough to get some of the acclaim they deserved.

In a move that might offend some blues purists, Williamson also includes a look at the legion of rock bands inspired by the blues, including the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Captain Beefheart. But in a clever gambit, Williamson looks at these acts entirely through the context of their blues roots rather than at their larger careers, showing us the wide reach the Delta sound has had in popular music.

Article Author: Nik Dirga

An American journalist who now lives in New Zealand, Nik Dirga writes whenever the mood strikes him about books, music, movies, pop culture and more.

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