King of the Delta Blues: The Life and Music of Charlie Patton

by Stephen Calt

Book by Calt, Stephen

Genres: Music, Biography, History

341 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book suffers from sloppy editing and Calt's typically nasty tone; however, there's a lot of information on Patton's life and music simply not found elsewhere. Wardlow's solid research deserves better presentation than found here.

[RA · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about Charlie Patton, the era, the music business, and "blues." Both Stephen Calt & Gayle Dean Wardlow created a well-researched documentary biography about the "King of the Delta Blues." Drawing on historical information and first-person interviews/accounts, they give a definitive portrait of the artist.

Anyone interested in blues history, especially "Country Blues" or "Mississippi Delta Blues" would be well-informed to read this. Both authors give detailed musical analysis, with much technical description, of Charlie Patton's songs, as well as putting it in context with the "creation" of the blues form. The book includes appendix with definitions of local vernacular, and a critical response to previous books about Patton.

[James Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book while intermittently listening to Charlie Patton's collected recordings. Patton was a true virtuoso of the early delta blues, and this book treats him as the flawed king he was.