Blues Music in the Sixties

Price (paper): $23.95  
Price (cloth): $39.95  
Subtitle: A Story in Black and White
Author: Ulrich Adelt
Subject: American Studies
Paper ISBN: 978-0-8135-5174-6
Cloth ISBN: 978-0-8135-4750-3
Pages: 204 pages
Publication Date: September 2011 (First Paperback Edition)

Praise for Blues Music in the Sixties:

"Meticulously documented and engagingly written, Blues Music in the Sixties: A Story in Black and White is a book that I have been waiting for since the 1980s. In these six case studies Adelt addresses important issues about race relations, rock music, the folk revival, and the music business during the decade when so many white music enthusiasts 'discovered' many forms of black American music, perhaps most importantly the blues."
—Kip Lornell, department of music, George Washington University

"Ultimately, this book is not so much a traditional musicology as a study in reception dynamics and the politics of authenticity. As such, it's a valuable addition to the work of folks like Charles Keil and George Lipsitz."—Cadence

Description:

Can a type of music be "owned"? Examining how music is linked to racial constructs and how African American musicians and audiences reacted to white appropriation, Blues Music in the Sixties shows the stakes when whites claim the right to play and live the blues.

In the 1960s, within the larger context of the civil rights movement and the burgeoning counterculture, the blues changed from black to white in its production and reception, as audiences became increasingly white. At the same time, blackness—especially black masculinity—remained a marker of authenticity. Blues Music in the Sixties discusses these developments, including the international aspects of the blues. Ulrich Adelt highlights the performers and venues that represented changing racial politics and addresses the impact and involvement of audiences and cultural brokers.

ULRICH ADELT is an assistant professor of American Studies and African American Studies at the University of Wyoming. He has published articles American Quarterly and the Journal of Popular Music Studies.

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Price (paper): $23.95
Price (cloth): $39.00