The blues singers

From The Critics

How do you describe a song or a musical style? For most of us, words simply do not convey the ephemeral, personal, and expressive native of music. But a new book by Julius Lester succeeds where most fail. The Blues Singers passes on a musical legacy from grandfather to granddaughter. The four women and six men, "Who Rocked the World," represent the founding fathers and mothers of a musical genre. The grandfather's narration is a combination of history and personal memories. He employs such vivid descriptions and colorful language, you can almost hear a mournful saxophone weeping on a back porch. "So what are the blues? Well, the blues are like having the flu in your feelings. But instead of your nose being stuffed up, it's your heart that feels like it needs blowing. ...But the blues is not only a feeling. It's also a kind of music that cures the blues. The words of a blues song might be sad, but the music and the beat wrap around your heart like one of your grandmother's hugs." The blues pioneers begin with Bessie Smith, "a big woman with a voice as wide and long as the sky." Her courage matched her instrument. In July of 1927, the Ku Klux Klan tried to stop one of her concerts. "'What do you think you're doing?' she shouted at the Klansmen, putting one hand on her hip and shaking her fist at them. Bessie's language was a little stronger than that, but you get the idea. 'You better pick up your sheets and get out of here.'" The profiles to follow illustrate the rich history of the blues and the colorful characters who made the music. Robert Johnson's sorrowful voice was so passionate he made grown men cry. Mahalia Jackson inspired generations who marveled that she "could go from a highnote to a low one as easily as you put one foot in front of the other." Of Muddy Waters, the grandfather recalls a concert at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. "His band rocked like they were playing at a barbecue in somebody's backyard down in Mississippi." Billy Holiday "didn't just sing the words, she reached deep inside them until she could feel their hearts beating." B.B. King "closes his eyes and scrunches up his face like he's in pain. But that's because his feelings are going straight from his heart into his fingers." Each profile is a gem, encapsulating a musical style, a personality, and a talent in folksy prose. But what makes The Blues Singers complete are Lisa Cohen's illustrations. These pop-art style images not only capture the physical characteristics of the blues artists, but seem to emote anguish, joy, and the passion of these musicians. Julius Lester is a talented musician and the author of a number of books for children and adults. His version of John Henry (Dial, 1994) won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Another one of his titles, To Be a Slave, was selected as a Newbery Honor book in 1969. This new book is sure to provide Lester with new accolades and readers with a clearer understanding and appreciation of the blues. 2001, Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, 47 pages,
— Michelle Wehrwein Albion

Children's Literature

In this creative nonfiction book, award-winning author Julius Lester takes us down a long, hard road known as "the blues." Lester looks briefly at the lives of ten of the great ones, men and women who shaped this unique brand of American music throughout the twentieth century. Lester tells it 'like it was' in the voice of a grandfather passing on a legacy to the younger generation. In brief biographical sketches, he introduces ten African-American blues legends: Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Mahalia Jackson, Muddy Waters, Billie Holiday, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Little Richard, James Brown and Aretha Franklin. Included are bibliographies of books and web sites for young readers interested in more information about these and other blues singers, as well as a "recommended listening" list of blues recordings. Lisa Cohen's portraits of the ten featured blues singers are simple, strong and expressive...like the music itself. Here's a book to give kids something to shout about. 2001, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, $16.49 and $15.99. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Dianne Ochiltree

VOYA

Sometimes a storyteller's voice is so strong that he makes his tales appeal in a new way. In this volume of short biographies written for young readers, each profile is presented as a story to be told. Junior and senior high school students who read—or listen to—them will be tempted to find out more about these famous Americans and to hear the recordings cited in the recommended listening list. Lester's introduction, called "A grandfather talks to his granddaughter," gives some background and definition to the blues. He emphasizes the value of this music to African Americans and its importance in American music. The ten singers—Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Mahalia Jackson, Muddy Watters, Billie Holiday, B. B. King, Ray Charles, Little Richard, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin—form a pantheon for rock and roll—many are in the Hall of Fame. Although some seem as if they come from a long time ago, others are still performing today and will be known by the teen reader. The singers' influences on each other, the difficulties of their lives, and their unique characters are incorporated into the narrative. The illustrations are vibrant and brash, giving a sense of the energy required to make the blues. Each vignette adds to the tradition of passing on heritage through storytelling. Read these stories aloud, with some blues playing quietly in the background, to any audience with an interest in music or history. Illus. Biblio. Further Listening. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2001, Hyperion/Disney, 48p, $15.99. Ages12 to 15. Reviewer: Patricia Morrow SOURCE: VOYA, August 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 3)

School Library Journal

Gr 3 Up-An introduction to some of the most influential blues singers of the past century. Writing from the perspective of a grandparent talking to his granddaughter, Lester clearly loves the music. He conveys what it does-"-cures the blues"-and why it is important-"-if it wasn't for the blues, we probably wouldn't have anything to listen to except our toenails growing." The conversational but poetic storytelling voice hits just the right note. In the three pages devoted to each subject, the author relates anecdotes of personal encounters with the performers and stories told to him by his grandparents, and gives explanations about times gone by to help readers understand the context of each person's life. What is remarkable is that despite the limitations of the format, Lester is able to provide significant details about these singers that convey who they were and their influence. The piece about Ray Charles in particular captures the essence of this man's life better than some of the full-length biographies available. The volume is illustrated with full-page stylized portraits in bold, flat colors. Large-print quotes in a variety of pastels and typefaces add to the appealing overall design. A brief bibliography and list of CDs are also included. An essential purchase.-Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Child Magazine

A Child Magazine Best Book of 2001 Pick

From Billie Holiday to James Brown, 10 musical legends are profiled in this jazzy picture book, related as first-person reminiscences from grandfather to granddaughter. The dynamic descriptions ("a voice as wide and long as the sky") are further enlivened by pop-art-style portraits.