Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition (New Directions in Southern Studies)

This book explores the role played by the devil figure within an evolving blues tradition. It pays particular attention to the lyrics of recorded blues songs, but it also seeks to tell a story about blues-invested southern lives. The first four chapters investigate, in sequence, the origins and meaning of the phrase "the devil's music" within black southern communities; the devil as a figure who empowers and haunts migrant black blueswomen in the urban North of the Jazz Age; the devil as a symbol of white maleficence and an icon for black southern bluesmen entrapped in the "hell" of the Jim Crow system; and the devil as shape-shifting troublemaker within blues songs lamenting failed romantic relationships. The fifth chapter is an extended meditation on the figure of Robert Johnson. It offers, in sequence, a new interpretation of Johnson's life and music under the sign of his mentor, Ike Zimmerman; a reading of Walter Hill's __Crossroads__ (1986) that aligns the film with the racial anxieties of modern blues culture; and a narrative history detailing the way in which the townspeople of Clarksdale, Mississippi transformed a pair of unimportant side streets into "the crossroads" over a sixty-year period, rebranding their town as the devil's territory and Johnson's chosen haunt, a mecca for blues tourism in the contemporary Delta. The Devil Is The Most Charismatic And Important Figure In The Blues Tradition. He's Not Just The Music's Namesake ('the Devil's Music'), But A Shadowy Presence Who Haunts An Imagined Mississippi Crossroads Where, It Is Claimed, Delta Bluesman Robert Johnson Traded Away His Soul In Exchange For Extraordinary Prowess On The Guitar. Yet, As Scholar And Musician Adam Gussow Argues, There Is Much More To The Story Of The Devil And The Blues Than These Cliched Understandings. Gussow Takes The Full Measure Of The Devil's Presence. Working From Original Transcriptions Of More Than 125 Recordings Released During The Past Ninety Years, Gussow Explores The Varied Uses To Which Black Southern Blues People Have Put This Trouble-sowing, Love-wrecking, But Also Empowering Figure. The Book Culminates With A Reinterpretation Of Johnson's Music And A Investigation Of The Way In Which The Citizens Of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Managed To Rebrand A Commercial Hub As The Crossroads In 1999, Claiming Johnson And The Devil As Their Own. -- Provided By The Publisher. Heaven And Hell Parties: Southern Religion And The Devil's Music -- Sold It To The Devil: The Great Migration, Lost Generations, And The Perils Of The Urban Dance Hall -- I'm Going To Marry The Devil's Daughter: Blues Tricksters Signifying On Jim Crow -- The Devil's Gonna Get You: Blues Romance And The Paradoxes Of Black Freedom -- Selling It At The Crossroads: The Lives And Legacies Of Robert Johnson -- Playing For The Haints: Ike's Protégé And Crossroads Folklore -- I Got A Big White Fella From Memphis Made A Deal With Me: Black Men, White Boys, And The Anxieties Of Blues Postmodernity In Walter Hill's Crossroads -- Local And Private Legislation: Branding The Crossroads In Clarksdale, Mississippi. Adam Gussow. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The devil is the most charismatic and important figure in the blues tradition. He's not just the music's namesake ("the devil's music"), but a shadowy presence who haunts an imagined Mississippi crossroads where, it is claimed, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson traded away his soul in exchange for extraordinary prowess on the guitar. Yet, as scholar and musician Adam Gussow argues, there is much more to the story of the devil and the blues than these clichéd understandings. In this groundbreaking study, Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure. The book culminates with a bold reinterpretation of Johnson's music and a provocative investigation of the way in which the citizens of Clarksdale, Mississippi, managed to rebrand a commercial hub as "the crossroads" in 1999, claiming Johnson and the devil as their own. The devil is the most charismatic and important figure in the blues tradition. He's not just the music's namesake ("the devil's music"), but a shadowy presence who haunts an imagined Mississippi crossroads where, it is claimed, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson traded away his soul in exchange for extraordinary prowess on the guitar. Yet, as scholar and musician Adam Gussow argues, there is much more to the story of the devil and the blues than these cliched understandings. In this groundbreaking study, Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure. The book culminates with a bold reinterpretation of Johnson's music and a provocative investigation of the way in which the citizens of Clarksdale, Mississippi, managed to rebrand a commercial hub as "the crossroads" in 1999, claiming Johnson and the devil as their own. "The devil is the most charismatic and important figure in the blues tradition. He's not just the music's namesake ('the devil's music'), but a shadowy presence who haunts an imagined Mississippi crossroads where, it is claimed, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson traded away his soul in exchange for extraordinary prowess on the guitar. Yet, as scholar and musician Adam Gussow argues, there is much more to the story of the devil and the blues than these clichéd understandings. Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure. The book culminates with a reinterpretation of Johnson's music and a investigation of the way in which the citizens of Clarksdale, Mississippi, managed to rebrand a commercial hub as "the crossroads" in 1999, claiming Johnson and the devil as their own." -- Provided by the publisher Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1 Heaven and hell parties Southern Religion and the Devil's Music -- 2 Soid it to the Devil The Great Migration, Lost Generations, and the Perils of the Urban Dance Hall -- 3 I'm Going to marry the Devil's Daughter Blues Tricksters Signifying on Jim Crow -- 4 The Devil's Gonna Get you Blues Romance and the Paradoxes of Black Freedom -- 5 Selling it at the crossroads The Lives and Legacies of Robert Johnson -- i Playing for the Haints: Ike's Protégé and Crossroads Folklore -- ii I Got a Big White Fella from Memphis Made a Deal with Me: Black Men, White Boys, and the Anxieties of Blues Postmodernity in Walter Hill's Crossroads -- iii Local and Private Legislation: Branding the Crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Appendix Devil-Blues Recordings and Selected Sermons, 1924-2015 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Song Credits -- Index In this groundbreaking study, Adam Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence in the blues. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure.