Buy new:
-14% $23.14
FREE delivery Saturday, May 25 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$23.14 with 14 percent savings
List Price: $26.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Saturday, May 25 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 23. Order within 17 hrs 30 mins
Only 7 left in stock (more on the way).
$$23.14 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$23.14
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$17.63
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, May 28 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 23. Order within 17 hrs 30 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$23.14 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$23.14
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Daniel E. Beaumont
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Preachin' the Blues: The Life and Times of Son House 1st Edition

by Daniel Beaumont (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 103 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$23.14","priceAmount":23.14,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"23","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"14","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"m9O0ZDHQ4AmM91Emso3uneq6Sa3wLwLm1Oc9NVeEiWYl9qeR5IUeUbwKarx2AiF79baBpj0pOUUxlCLItc8znyPy9f7vma%2FCYhxrQc1Upc1IyC6oMFh1gJ1DG5pSljwqki%2B7iZOdWvmchor5Y29Gdg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$17.63","priceAmount":17.63,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"17","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"63","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"m9O0ZDHQ4AmM91Emso3uneq6Sa3wLwLmLS9Bw7eJXS51CbHFsGsPZcfYe7A%2FPmZ8AVFtsLLhc0PXW09DRa1MOU5ENPsy%2BJsPQmQpG7LX0AdB7x%2B8rx2Rj2Xh4KIONbDKxtv2FFK9baXHgeombnpLRdNrLWpCHRET5ZLXgqMNHzwnBbERce3uf41HccxKYtvq","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

In June of 1964, three young, white blues fans set out from New York City in a Volkswagen, heading for the Mississippi Delta in search of a musical legend. So begins Preachin' the Blues, the biography of American blues signer and guitarist Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. (1902 - 1988). House pioneered an innovative style, incorporating strong repetitive rhythms with elements of southern gospel and spiritual vocals. A seminal figure in the history of the Delta blues, he was an important, direct influence on such figures as Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.
The landscape of Son House's life and the vicissitudes he endured make for an absorbing narrative, threaded through with a tension between House's religious beliefs and his spells of commitment to a lifestyle that implicitly rejected it. Drinking, womanizing, and singing the blues caused this tension that is palpable in his music, and becomes explicit in one of his finest performances, "Preachin' the Blues." Large parts of House's life are obscure, not least because his own accounts of them were inconsistent. Author Daniel Beaumont offers a chronology/topography of House's youth, taking into account evidence that conflicts sharply with the well-worn fable, and he illuminates the obscurity of House's two decades in Rochester, NY between his departure from Mississippi in the 1940s and his "rediscovery" by members of the Folk Revival Movement in 1964. Beaumont gives a detailed and perceptive account of House's primary musical legacy: his recordings for Paramount in 1930 and for the Library of Congress in 1941-42. In the course of his research Beaumont has unearthed not only connections among the many scattered facts and fictions but new information about a rumoured murder in Mississippi, and a charge of manslaughter on Long Island - incidents which bring tragic light upon House's lifelong struggles and self-imposed disappearance, and give trenchant meaning to the moving music of this early blues legend.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0195395573
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195395570
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    July 1, 2011
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    9.4 x 0.9 x 6 inches
  8. Print length
    224 pages
  9. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Preachin' the Blues: The Life and Times of Son House
$23.14
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 25
Only 7 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
I'd Rather Be the Devil: Skip James and the Blues
$13.79
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 25
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Charley Patton: Expanded Edition (Dover Books On Music: Folk Songs)
$11.77
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 25
Only 20 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Beaumont's work shines especially in his depiction of House's nonrecording years... the definitive portrait of this unjustly neglected lion of American Music." --Library Journal (starred review)

"Beaumont offers vivid portraits of the pre-WWII blues scene and the mid-1960s efforts of white ethnomusicologists to rediscover and promote blues singers."
--Alan Moores, Booklist

"Daniel Beaumont, who teaches Arabic language and literature at the University of Rochester, has produced an eloquent study of House's life and travails." --Benjamin Ivry, Star-Ledger

"Preachin' the Blues achieves what any music biographer most aspires to: It makes a reader want to seek out the music it describes. And even in an iTunes age, when Son House's Levee Camp Moan can be found with a click instead of a drive to Rochester, it's still a journey with rich rewards." --Charles R. Cross, The Seattle Times


About the Author

Daniel Beaumont teaches courses on Arabic language and literature and the blues at the University of Rochester. He is the author of Slave of Desire: Sex, Love and Death in The 1001 Nights (Associated University Presses 2002). He produced and directed "So Much Truth" a documentary about bluesman Joe Beard. He also worked as chief observer on a rain making project in Libya and he has been on the historic "King Biscuit Time" blues radio show.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (July 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195395573
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195395570
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.01 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.4 x 0.9 x 6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 103 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Daniel E. Beaumont

Daniel E. Beaumont

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Daniel Beaumont teaches at the University of Rochester. He has lived and worked in the Middle East and been on the King Biscuit Time blues radio show. He is also the author of Slave of Desire.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
103 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

R. Weinstock
5.0 out of 5 stars Daniel Beaumont's fine biography of Son House
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2011
Verified Purchase
I finished reading the Son House biography, "Preachin' the Blues: The Life and Times of Son House" by Daniel Beaumont and while I intend to do a lengthier review, I thought it would serve to state my brief impressions. He makes use of much of the existing published material as well as some unpublished material such as stuff he has derived from the late Stephen Calt's research. Thankfully the book is evenly written and lacks the nasty potshots that Calt was capable of taking against others. For example, if Calt had done a House biography, one would be hard-pressed to imagine Calt praising Dick Waterman's work with Son as Son's manager.

The only negatives include the fact that photo reproduction of some images could have been better and no discography of Son's recordings including CD releases. This book actually has footnotes which is quite helpful compared to the modern tendency of having endnotes at the end of a text. Another wonderful addition to the blues literature.
22 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J Wasko
5.0 out of 5 stars If only he stayed sober.
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
Recently, the State of Mississippi installed an extensive set of historic markers throughout the State. It is called the Mississippi Blues Trail. By traveling around the State, and with a good guide book, one can get a sense of the importance of Mississippi in the development of Blues and Rock & Roll in the early to mid twentieth century. The area north of Clarksdale to Memphis was Son House's stomping grounds. That area, roughly called Robinsonville-Tunica Resorts, is an area of big contrasts. It has all the hallmarks of upper crust Mississippi. (Big new casinos. Big levee projects, Big Plantation/Farms and agriculture) It also has residual poverty and abandoned and little used hamlets. (Hernando, Banks, Lyon, Lula, Marks, Ashland, and Dundee). Preachin the Blues mentions all these hamlets and their significance to the Blues. With the exception of Lula, not even the State of Mississippi is up to speed with this. This is a major strength of this book, and it should be read before anyone travels or vacations on the Mississippi Blues Trail. It would add a lot to the experience.
By the time of the Blues revival in the early 1960s, Son House was the last man standing of the early Delta foundation players. Charley Patton and Robert Johnson were dead. Son House had been living in Rochester, NY for 20 years, and indulging in alcoholism. He could have been a giant. He could have been a contenda. The drinking ruined all of this. Think of Louis Armstrong to Jazz, Duke Ellington to big band Jazz, and BB King to modern day Blues. That could have been Son House to the early Delta Blues. Preachin the Blues tends to give Son House a pass on this. And the book points out that Howlin Wolf doesn't give Son House a pass on this. And neither does the verdict of history. In my opinion, that's the only shortcoming of this book. I would have deducted a 1/4 star, but the software won't allow it.
It's a great book. But it's really tragic that Son House wasn't able to offer more.
11 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Mark Anderson
4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Biography Of Son House
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2014
Son House was an important figure in Delta blues history and this is a very good biography of Son House, along with the history of his times and his place in blues history.

If you're interested in American music history, this is a worthwhile and informative read.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Howard Bleach
5.0 out of 5 stars Justice for Eddie!
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2012
Verified Purchase
One of the finest books on the subject of blues I have read. Makes a great companion to Calt's book on Skip James, though Beaumont's tone is decidedly less caustic and defamatory. The only real villain in Beaumont's book seems to be Alan Lomax, who is cast as an opportunistic sort, but mostly, the book is heavy on facts and light on conjecture and gossip. Given what I knew about House before from various accounts (such as Segrest and Hoffman's Howlin' Wolf biography, Moanin' At Midnight), I was surprised and delighted to find that the man was occasionally humble and frequently benevolent, in direct contrast to some of his contemporaries (again, Skip James, who seemed like a pretty hard guy to like), and not merely a drunken has-been, as he has often been lamentably painted. An indispensable book on a fascinating subject. Highest recommendation.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
pcg
5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Son House
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015
Verified Purchase
I hesitated to purchase this, knowing a bit about Mr. House. But it turned out to be an essential, well written, biography. The basic blues lure goes on and on. And the Son House stories are a deep look into the history of that period. If you're seriously into the blues, this is a must-have volume.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
John R. Viertel
3.0 out of 5 stars Almost but not quite...
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
A book with lots of assets -- very good biographical material on House and his compatriots like Willie Brown and Charlie Patton, and therefore, if you care about Son House, very much worth reading. But there are also some strange interpretations of House's performance style, some -- I believe -- obvious mis-transcriptions of what he's singing and one completely puzzling description of the "weirdness" of House's staple song "Grinning In Your Face", which the author doesn't seem to understand at all. So while I was happy to get much more biographical and contextual information about an artist I care deeply about, I was frustrated by the book's shortcomings.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
thehimiler
5.0 out of 5 stars Blues Roots
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
This was a great read! I couldn't leave it alone! From a preacher to Father of the Blues, Son House did it all! Especially interesting, to me, was the interaction & connection between the early blues artists, in a time with primitive transportation & communication. A very well written and interesting book.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer John Rusch
5.0 out of 5 stars This book treats the the subject,
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
with respect and dignity, the blues as a genre is an obscure form, still alive but underground, there for those who care to seek it, so glad to have come across this book, to better understand one of the founding fathers of the blues.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Gerry M
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
Very good and interesting reading.
Report
Egger Norbert, AAA Culture GmbH
4.0 out of 5 stars Gutes Buch
Reviewed in Germany on February 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
Gutes Buch über einen sehr wichtigten Blues Musiker. Realistisch und differenziert geschrieben, sehr gut verarbeitet und produziert, interessant zu lesen.
Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any fan of Son House
Reviewed in Australia on June 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
I unreservedly recommend this to any fan of Son House, or the pre-War blues more generally. Well researched, insightful and expertly written. There are a lot of books on the blues around but few as worthwhile as this one.
Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars It was as good as i'd hoped
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
It was as good as i'd hoped, much new info brought to light about the man and his life. It was well researched and stuck to facts rather than grasping at straws. Beaumont did give his views but only by using research to reach these opinions/beliefs. The book never glamorised son house or made him out to be somebody he wasn't. An example of this would be Beaumont's discussion around how difficult son house could be to manage after his re - discovery. No punches are pulled, it's clear the man had been an alcoholic nearly all his adult life.
This is a book in my opinion that had to be written. Son house plays a very important part in American musical history. This is a fine book on the legend that is eddie James son house, as well as a very well researched blues book.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Mark Anderson
4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Biography Of Son House
Reviewed in Canada on August 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Son House was an important figure in Delta blues history and this is a very good biography of Son House, along with the history of his times and his place in blues history.

If you're interested in American music history, this is a worthwhile and informative read.
Report