Stephen Calt (1946–2010)

I always feel guilty when I shelve a book that’s half pictures as “read.” Anyway, this volume was based on three trading card sets Crumb illustrated of early blues, jazz, and country performers. There is a short essay for each illustration which is always insightful. There are some notable omissions (no Robert Johnson?) which makes the collection somewhat idiosyncratic instead of encyclopedic. Still, the illustrations are great and the whole thing makes you want to seek out these early recordings, most no later than 1930.

There is a cd included which is a bonus to listen to after you read the entry for the particular musician.… (more)

This delightful book is a fantastic read for those interested in the history and early pioneers of American music. The book collects three trading card sets that Crumb drew and painted around 1980. Crumb used historical photos to create his works, and true to the "trading card" aesthetic each picture card is accompanied by a paragraph or two about the performers.

The drawings are great, and the info accompanying them is super--especially for those who like to learn about the history of music. You get plenty of excellent biographical info about the featured performer and a lot of "color". That's what makes this book so fun--I pick it up while listening to Bix Beiderbecke and read "his tone, characterized by perfect pitch and spare, well-placed notes, was clean and bell-like". It's not a lot of info, but it's the kind of tidbit that makes listening more fun, especially for someone who's just digging into early American music.

The book really shines when it comes to the roots of country. The entries in that section are a little longer and allow for more exploration of how the music evolved. While reading the entry on the Ray Brothers you'll learn about the regional differences in fiddling in Mississippi and Alabama and how that affected the guitar accompaniment. A wealth of information buried in two short paragraphs!

While flipping through the pictures you may be surprised at how many of the bands had women guitarists. Read the entry on Fiddlin' Powers and Family to learn that the guitar was originally "scorned by most rural performers" and "stigmatized in its early days as a polite parlor instrument" that was fit for young girls to play. Now that's a cool little bit of cultural history that I didn't expect to learn from a book of drawings of musicians--and it's emblematic of what you get with this book, and why I loved it.… (more)