In June of 1964; three young; white blues fans set out from New York City in a Volkswagen; heading for the Mississippi Delta in search of a musical legend. So begins Preachin the Blues; the biography of American blues signer and guitarist Eddie James "Son" House; Jr. (1902 - 1988). House pioneered an innovative style; incorporating strong repetitive rhythms with elements of southern gospel and spiritual vocals. A seminal figure in the history of the Delta blues; he was an important; direct influence on such figures as Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.The landscape of Son Houses life and the vicissitudes he endured make for an absorbing narrative; threaded through with a tension between Houses religious beliefs and his spells of commitment to a lifestyle that implicitly rejected it. Drinking; womanizing; and singing the blues caused this tension that is palpable in his music; and becomes explicit in one of his finest performances; "Preachin the Blues." Large parts of Houses life are obscure; not least because his own accounts of them were inconsistent. Author Daniel Beaumont offers a chronology/topography of Houses youth; taking into account evidence that conflicts sharply with the well-worn fable; and he illuminates the obscurity of Houses two decades in Rochester; NY between his departure from Mississippi in the 1940s and his "rediscovery" by members of the Folk Revival Movement in 1964. Beaumont gives a detailed and perceptive account of Houses primary musical legacy: his recordings for Paramount in 1930 and for the Library of Congress in 1941-42. In the course of his research Beaumont has unearthed not only connections among the many scattered facts and fictions but new information about a rumoured murder in Mississippi; and a charge of manslaughter on Long Island - incidents which bring tragic light upon Houses lifelong struggles and self-imposed disappearance; and give trenchant meaning to the moving music of this early blues legend.
#188911 in eBooks 2008-09-01 2008-09-01File Name: B005C72UCW
Review
59 of 59 people found the following review helpful. I likeyBy MyriadIm a decent artist who cant seem to get to that next level.Been searching for books that would inspire and push me. This has done it. In a meagre 64 pages I have been given all the tools to push my portrait drawing ability to that next level. There are exercises along with some positive words that have given me a goal to pursue. I own over 100 books on various aspects of art instruction and this is among the best. I bought a couple other of the made easy series and they seem to be just as good. This has undoubtedly been a very good investment. Highly recommended.12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. A good "handbook" on drawingBy J. FELLAI wanted to review this book because I hope I have something to contribute. opinion-wise. As some of the reviewers have said. this book is quite short (it IS a Walter Foster book after all). It doesnt go into anything in a lot of detail or depth. However. there is very little talking in this book. and it has a ton of examples and tends to explain with its pictures. It does have a few cool aspects to it. particularly where it shows you some finished drawings (by skilled amateurs I assume) that are quite good. but have some problems with them (tone. contrast. etc). So it shows you what the problem is and then how to go about fixing it. Pretty cool. actually.So. yes this book is short and sweet. but honestly if you just want a good. down and dirty reference to refresh your memory about certain aspects of drawing. and maybe just want some examples of different kinds of shading. facial features. etc. this book might hit the spot. Keep in mind. Im giving this book 4 stars for what it is. not what it isnt. It DOES pack a lot of info into 64 pages. and for that. I think it deserves 4 stars.10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. cream of the cropBy AudioampbuilderSince it has been years since I worked with portraiture. I knewI needed some good books to provide the essential exercisesrequired in order to wind up with something approachingphotographic - with believable and pleasing results. So I bought several and compared them. Actually they will all be useful. This one. however.is very well done. He even presents some works from some of his students who. we can gingerly say. are not quite there yet; and describes what it is exactly that doesnt work-or can make your subject/model look just a "bit off" of looking. well. not quite human... with Richlin describing exactly why it doesnt work.There arent so many lines. or "contours" re. the human head and face.It is more about a gradual blend of light and shade-with a keen understanding of the relative sizes. and positions of key elements and facial features as they overlie bone and cartilage structure underneath. It is important to cause a portrait to look alive. moist. breathing.natural. etc. before we move on to. say. our "signature" portrait style. which may be done more "shorthand like". e.g Modigliani.( the flat/graphic look ) or painterly. e.g. Sargeant. or Van Gogh ( extremely painterly strokes )The reading is entertaining. winsome and witty-which helps one get through the fussing with details that we must concentrate upon in order to keep our portraits from looking just plain duh looking -or worse. laughable . or encourage wise cracks from people who cant even draw flies.If youre getting close. but cant quite understand what is wrong. this is a superb training exercise that will help you move from unschooled untrained novice to professional...its a bigger step than one might think. Unschooled draftsmen will often behave as if to say "Look. I can do this without training" ( duh ). The lack of proper exercise and training happens to be noticeable from fifty feet away - sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb. Try to get it right first before we move on to visual shorthand - the kind we see in. say a relaxed stroke Fragonard. or Eduard Manet...both of whom were capable of photo-realism before they developed their signature brushstrokes...lightning like. accurate strokes. It is first accomplished with great pains. self discipline. and working constantly to improve. After all. a concert pianist will have played his performance piece a hundred times or more before he or she steps on to a live stage.To quote from the author. "Remember that portraiture requires the most painstaking accuracy of ALL the visual arts". Accomplish this. and everything else will come effortlessly.This is a good first one- but do buy more - such as Anthony Ryders "The Artists Complete Guide to Figure Drawing". Anyone who takes himself seriously as an artist will perfect his drawing skills. ala. J.D. Ingres. before moving on to painting. Only the amateur wants to jump into painting right away. This is the problem today when one goes to a. so called. high end gallery. hoping to see excellence...you will not. Today we champion the haughty. mincing. self congratulatory. delusional. lazy. ignorant. undisciplined. and the profoundly disturbed sociopath as "dah-lings".What is needed are more books of nude models in a great variety of ages. and body types. since it is so hard to get someone to pose naked for you. The human body drawn au natural. and then clothed. makes the for most natural looking work. Indeed. in the academy century. the clothing. or drapery was often set up with props or a mannekin. all the folds etc done exquisitely....and THEN the model is brought in to flesh out those garments. Ideally with some cooperation from the model. for an accurate drawing previously. done au natural. or with scant clothing.
