New Book: Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music by Ted Gioia

After what seems like several years, I finally finished Life by Keith Richards, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I highly recommend it for any Stones fan or anyone who likes rock and roll. Unlike a lot of autobiographies that are co-written or ghost written, this book is definitely Keef's voice. He has some great stories to tell, and he is rather forthcoming about things that have happened to him and his relationships. In particular, as you may have heard, he has some choice things to say about Mick Jagger over the past 25-30 years. I didn't find anything he said about Mick to be particularly shocking. I guess I expect band members to quarrel and have differences, especially when they've been in the same band for almost 50 years. Anyway, it's a good read.

Moving backwards in both musical history and page numbers, I have started reading Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music by Ted Gioia. As you should know, modern American music was essentially born in the Mississippi Delta. As Muddy Waters famously said, "the blues had a baby, and they called it rock and roll." I know some basics about Delta blues history -- "where the Southern cross the Dog," Robert Johnson selling his soul at the crossroads, Alan Lomax, Stovall Plantation, and all that good stuff -- but there is always more to learn. So far so good.

Books read in 2011:
Life by Keith Richards