Rhythm & Blues In New Orleans
|
Please click on
|
Compared to those of New Orleans the Soul Artists from Detroit, Chicago and Memphis are relatively well known in Europe, and this may be caused by a number of factors: More available literature either in book or magazine format; promotion from much bigger record labels; more concert tours by the artists themselves. Aware that I was relatively ignorant of the R&B of New Orleans I was looking forward to reading this book enormously. Given the hours I have spent wading through the numerous tomes about a single Detroit record label, (i.e. Motown), the fact that this is the first book I have found which considers the R&B output from an entire City gives the imbalance some perspective. The book is not exclusively about Soul music, it is about all manifestations of New Orleans R&B including; Blues, Rock & Roll, Funk and Soul. The story begins way back in the 1940's, at a time when 'soul' music was still but a twinkling in the eye of artists such as Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. The usual suspects are there: Fats Domino & Roy Brown from the R&B perspective; Little Richard & Lloyd Price for Rock and Roll; Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, The Dixie Cups and Lee Dorsey as the Soul representatives; the Meters as kings of Funk, but besides these big names the book deals with lots of lesser known black artists as well: Ike Clanton, Larry Darnell, Frankie Ford, Paul Gayten, Professor Longhair and a whole host of others. Why New Orleans music did not fare globally better than it did remains a mystery. They certainly had lots of talented musicians and lots of recording studios, indeed the town was a magnet for musicians throughout the South. Another unique feature of New Orleans R&B are the many diverse influences which acted upon it. There was the mainstream pop and Soul influences of Motown and Stax, Louisiana swamp music, Indian Ska and reggae, there was Caribbean Afro-Spanish music, Louisiana Blues, Cajun Music, Country, Gospel, Be-Bop, Jazz; Swing Bands, Boogie Woogie and Parade Marching Bands. Boven clearly illustrates these with a detailed flow diagram at the back of the book. Given this diversity it hardly surprising that New Orleans developed such a unique style of its own. Maybe it was the business acumen which was missing. The book itself has many qualities to recommend it. It is well written, thoroughly researched and logically organised. Rather than being presented in chapters it is divided into three parts, "Rhythm & Blues 1946 - 55", "Rock & Roll 1955 - 59", "The Local Record Scene, 1955 - 63". Despite the fact none of these titles use the term directly it contains much that is of interest to the Soul fan. The text is also well supported by some excellent appendices including the flowchart already mentioned, a bibliography, Song Credits, Biographical data, a list of the main New Orleans R&B bands, a list of top selling singles and an album discography. My main complaint is that the 'logical structure' which I have highlighted as a strength is a double edged sword and also becomes the book's main weakness. Fats Domino for example recorded through all eras covered by the three sections as did many other of the artists. Their personal biographies are therefore split into several pieces to fit into the different era format of the book. This gives it a rather piecemeal effect. There are times when reading any book that the readers attention starts to wane, but if the book is cohesive they can drift back in and pick up where they left off. With this book it is not the case. Drift off for two minutes and you're onto a new topic altogether, having missed the end of what you were reading and having entirely missed the context of the latest plot. The packets into which each section is subdivided are far too short in my opinion. I'm glad I have read the book and it is good value for money, but fin my view it makes a much better reference book than it does a reader.
|
|
Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
|
the category you wish to choose from the options
below
