I've been reading "Escaping the Delta" by Elijah Wald and it's a terrific read. If you're a music head like me. And if you're interested in the blues. This is, in fact, a history of blues (from around the turn of the 20th century through the 30's & 40's up to the 60's "rediscovery" by British rock bands) which has a fairly large focus on Robert Johnson. Wald makes the point (and it's a very valid one) that more foolishness has been written about Robert Johnson than practically anybody (especially by ernest white boys like him [and me] who fall into the trap of the mystical romanticism surrounding the great blues artist). If it's possible you haven't heard the tale: Robert Johnson supposedly met the Devil at a crossroads and sold his soul in order to gain mastery over the guitar. It's a terrific, mythical story that we all hold dear. But what's the real story? Wald approaches Johnson not as a sycophantic fan boy but with a refreshingly clear eye; his chapters on Johnson in fact only quote those who knew the man or who travelled in the same circles and Wald ignores the scores of fawning music critics (again, mostly white) who have been spinning fairy tales for the past 40 years. Wald (a blues artist for 30 years) also dispels the myth that blues was some old-timey backwater music only performed by "authentic" blues men. Blues, in fact, was just one facet of African-American popular music that was thought of by its audience as progressive and new (as well as being on equal terms with current jazz or pop music in its heyday). In fact, our stereotypical idea of the "authentic blues man" is a much later development. Blues, in fact, was an almost completely female playing field (with the exception of W.C. Handy); the most successful blues artists of the 20's & 30's were almost exclusively women (Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, etc.) Men didn't break into the blues charts until the "blues queens" had blazed the trail. Another myth is dispelled when Wald gains access to actual lists of records featured on jukeboxes in African-American establishments in Clarksdale, Mississippi around 1941. These playlists show that African-American audiences of the time were very liberal in their listening habits and played all genres of music (unlike the stuffy blues purists of today who would never dream of playing a "pop" record of the same era). Records by Glenn Miller, The Ink Spots, Bing Crosby and Gene Autry were routinely played alongside blues records. In fact, blues artists were famously versatile in what they played for an audience. The only recordings of Robert Johnson are straight ahead blues records; however Johnny Shines (who travelled extensively with Johnson) recalls that Robert Johnson would play hillbilly songs, cowboy songs, Bing Crosby tunes or even standards. Shines also noted that some of Robert Johnson's favourites included "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", "My Blue Heaven" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" (!) As I've mentioned, the book does not focus solely on Robert Johnson but gives a vivid overview of many, MANY blues artists from the 20th century. However, one priceless feature of the book is when Wald examines each and every song Robert Johnson recorded (don't get scared; it's only three chapters long and each song gets about 2-3 paragraphs each). I've been familiar with the songs for years but Wald illustrates what to listen for and I got quite a few new insights into the songs. The book comes with a cd but don't get too excited; it's only got 2 songs on it. However, the 2 songs are very important. Not only does the cd include Leroy Carr's seminal "Mean Mistreater Mama" but also includes take one of Robert Johnson's "Traveling Riverside Blues" which was inexplicably left off the "Complete Recordings" cd. Besides this, there is also a companion cd (which I haven't gotten yet but you KNOW I will) called "Back to the Crossroads: The Roots of Robert Johnson" which includes many of the blues records which influenced Johnson and of which Wald writes so vividly. The book, in fact, is a lot of fun to read and can be truly fascinating. It's not at all a dry text of music criticism but a refreshing retelling of the history of the blues that's as entertaining as the music itself.