Songsters and saints : vocal traditions on race records / Paul Oliver.
| Author/creator | Oliver, Paul |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1984. |
| Description | ix, 339 pages : illustrations, music, portraits ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | The half ain't never been told: an introduction -- Do the Bombashay: Dance songs and routines -- Under the chicken tree: Songs from the ragtime era -- The long-tailed blue: Songsters of the road shows -- If luck don't change: Fantasy, reality and parody -- As the eagle stirreth her nest: Baptist preachers and their congregations -- Three ways to praise: Saints of the Sanctified churches -- Honey in the rock: Jack-leg preachers and evangelists -- Natural-born men: Survivors of the ballad tradition -- Next week, sometime ...?: Past recording and future research. |
| Abstract | This book rediscovers the wealth of neglected vocal traditions presented on Race records. When blues first reached a large audience it was through the 'Race records' issued specifically for black purchasers in the 1920s. Blues South have been extensively discussed by many writers. The author shows that this emphasis has drawn attention away from the other important vocal traditions also available on Race records: the songs of Southern rural dances, the comic and social songs and ballads of the medicine shows and travelling entertainments, and, even more neglected, the sacred vocal traditions, from the song-sermons of the Baptist and Sanctified preachers to the gospel songs of the church congregations and of the 'jack-leg' preachers and street evangelists. Over 500 artists and 700 song titles are indexed and there is a guide to reissued recordings. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliography (pages 309-313), discography (pages 314-317), and indexes. |
| LCCN | 84001699 |
| ISBN | 0521248272 |
| ISBN | 0521269423 (pbk.) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML3556 .O466 1984 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |