Blues For Dummies

by Lonnie Brooks, Cub Koda, Wayne Baker Brooks, Dan Aykroyd (Foreword by)

Overview

Get your mojo working as you take a musical trip from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago's gritty South Side and points beyond with Blues For Dummies, an insightful, toe-tappin', music lovers' guide to the blues. Popular blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks serves as your tour guide through the life and times of the blues, from the acoustic mystique of Robert Johnson and Son House to the urban blues men and women of today: John Lee Hooker, Robert Cray, B.B. King, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and, of course, Brooks himself.

Blues For Dummies travels from sad to glad, with stops along the way at heartache and despair, hope and joy, on the road to great music. Get hip to the different styles and eras of the blues; discover what makes the blues so blue; find out "Who's Who" among four generations of blues musicians; and make tracks to the best blues clubs on the planet with this great, easygoing reference.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764550805
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/14/1998
Series:	For Dummies Books
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.32(h) x 0.99(d)

About the Author

Lonnie Brooks is a popular blues guitarist and recording artist, playing more than 150 shows annually around the world. He has been performing for more than 40 years and has played with some of the biggest names in music, including B.B. King, Les Paul, and James Brown.

Cub Koda is a guitarist, music historian, and regular columnist for Discoveries magazine. He is also a contributing editor to the All Music Guide to the Blues. As the leader of Brownsville Station, Koda is also known as the writer of their biggest hit, Smokin' in the Boys Room.

Wayne Baker Brooks is a Chicago-based blues songwriter and guitarist. He has played rhythm with the Lonnie Brooks Band and lead guitar with his own band. He is the founder and president of the Blues Island Production Company.

Table of Contents

Introduction.

PART I: What Are the Blues and How Do I Know I Have Them?

Chapter 1: Recognizing the Blues Sound and Style.

Chapter 2: The Many Shades of Blues.

Chapter 3: The Blues Connection to Other Music.

PART II: Who's Who in the Blues

Chapter 4: Early Blues Legends (1900 to 1945)Chapter 5: Artists from the Original Blues Heyday (1946 to 1969).

Chapter 6: Artists of the Contemporary Blues Scene (1970 to Present).

PART III: Listening to the Blues.

Chapter 7: The Best Blues Recordings and Record Labels.

Chapter 8: Where to Head to Hear the Blues.

PART IV: Playing the Blues.

Chapter 9: Putting Together a Blues Band.

Chapter 10: Axes, Harps, and Other Essential Instruments.

Chapter 11: Making a Blues Record.

PART V: The Blues Community.

Chapter 12: Blues Organizations Worth Checking Out.

Chapter 13: A Blues Event: Throwing a Theme Party.

Chapter 14: The Blues Online.

PART VI: The Parts of Tens.

Chapter 15: Then Reasons Why the Blues Just Keep on Growing.

Chapter 16: Ten Collectible Blues Records You Wish You Could Afford.

Appendix.

Afterword.

Index.

Book Registration Information.