A self-described song-hunter, the folklorist Alan Lomax traveled the Mississippi Delta in the 1930 s and 40s, armed with primitive recording equipment and a keen love of the Delta s music heritage. Crisscrossing the towns and hamlets where the blues began, Lomax gave voice to such greats as Leadbelly, Fred MacDowell, Muddy Waters, and many others, all of whom made their debut recordings with him.
The Land Where the Blues Began is Lomax s stingingly well-written cornbread-and-moonshine odyssey (Kirkus Reviews) through America s musical heartland. Through candid conversations with...