"Looking Up at Down"

Download or read book "Looking Up at Down" written by William Barlow and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than just a history of a musical genre,Looking Up at Downtraces the evolution of the various strands of blues music within the broader context of the culture on which it commented, and discusses its importance as a form of cultural resistance and identity for Afro-Americans. William Barlow explores the lyrics, describes the musical styles, and portrays the musicians and performers who created this uniquely American music. He describes how the blues sound-with its recognizable dissonance and African musical standards-and the blues text, which provided a bottom up view of American society, became bulwarks of cultural resistance.Using rare recordings, oral histories, and interviews, Barlow analyzes how the blues was sustained as a form of Afro-American cultural resistance despite attempts by the dominant culture to assimilate and commercialize the music and exploit its artists. Author note:William Barlowis Associate Professor in the Radio, Television, and Film Department of Howard University. A music programmer for alternative radio stations for more than fifteen years, he currently produces "Blue Monday" on WPFW-FM.