Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs

by David Grazian

Book Overview

Blue Chicago takes us inside the world of contemporary urban blues clubs to uncover how iconic--yet empty--images of the blues are manufactured and sold to music fans and audiences. Drawing on countless nights in dozens of blues clubs throughout Chicago, David Grazian shows how this quest for authenticity has transformed the very shape of the blues experience. He explores the ways in which professional and amateur musicians, club owners, and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226305899
• ISBN13: 9780226305899
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful, highly readable sociological blues review

Grazian presents the world of Chicago's blues scene with the loving touch of a real fan, and the critical eye of a deep-thinking sociologist. His exploration of notions of "authenticity" in blues is penetrating and insightful, as he examines what it is in the blues experience that makes us think of it as "authentic" -- is it the color of the musician? The world-weariness in his voice? The ambience or clientele of the club? Or is it simply a construct of audience expectations, differing from person to person? Grazian, a blues player himself, skillfully points out how and why the authenticity we seek in our music is a reflection of our search for authenticity, the desire to "keep it real," in culture itself.