Debra DeSalvo

Far from just a glossary, this is a history of the blues, told through the stories behind its words and images.

Devi traces many, many familiar slang terms, like “cat”, “hip”, “jam”, . . . back to African roots. This was eye-opening to me. Not that I didn’t know that many of the roots of blues music itself were African, but I had no idea that those common words, with seemingly obvious metaphorical significance, might actually be derived from African words — “cat”, for show more example, from a Wolof word, “katt”, meaning “singer.”

You can doubt Devi’s etymologies, and her histories — sometimes she speaks with a bit more confidence than seems warranted, about the origins of words and phrases, or about the events surrounding them (for example, she states without reservation that Marie Laveau was born in Haiti, despite controversies about her birthplace and even an apparent consensus that she was born in Louisiana).

I’m not an etymologist, so I wouldn’t dare to pass judgement. But I do wonder how strong conclusions about word origins, by even the sharpest word detectives, can really be.

But there’s no doubt that the book is entertaining. I bought it partly on the strength of Dr. John’s endorsement, and the Foreward he wrote for the book. And I had thought I would put it aside, to occasionally dip into or to look up a word or pass a few minutes of boredom. But once I began reading bits and pieces, I decided to read it cover to cover. It’s an easy, fast, compelling read.

It does read like a history book, just one written with page by page changes of perspective. Always entertaining. I learned a lot, and I suspect I’ll come back to read bits and pieces over and over. show less

Terrific dictionary of blues terms with extensive origins and examples. Blues biography, history lesson and lexicon for getting at the meaning behind the lyrics of those old blues songs.