This compilation of essays takes the study of the blues to a welcome new
level. Distinguished scholars and well-established writers from such
diverse backgrounds as musicology, anthropology, musicianship, and
folklore join together to examine blues as literature, music, personal
expression, and cultural product. Ramblin' on My Mind contains pieces on
Ella Fitzgerald, Son House, and Robert Johnson; on the styles of
vaudeville, solo guitar, and zydeco; on a comparison of blues and
African music; on blues nicknames; and on lyric themes of
disillusionment.
Contributors are Lynn Abbott, James Bennighof, Katharine Cartwright,
Andrew M. Cohen, David Evans, Bob Groom, Elliott Hurwitt, Gerhard Kubik,
John Minton, Luigi Monge, and Doug Seroff.