So You Want to Sing the Blues: A Guide for Performers
ONLINE RESOURCES:
Chapter 1 – Origins of the Blues
- Paul Robeson: “There Is a Balm in Gilead”
- Bessie Smith: “St. Louis Blues”
- Skip James: “Devil Got My Woman”
- Blind Lemon Jefferson: “Black Snake Moan”
- Clara Smith: “Shipwrecked Blues”
- Lightnin’ Hopkins: “Nothin’ But the Blues”
- Robert Johnson: “Crossroad Blues”
- Robert Johnson: “Come on in My Kitchen”
- Memphis Minnie: “If You See My Rooster”
- Tampa Red: “Blues for My Baby”
- Howlin’ Wolf: “Smokestack Lighting”
- Slim Harpo: “Shake Your Hips”
- Robert Johnson: “Preachin’ Blues”
- Taj Mahal: “Built for Comfort”
- Tampa Red & Georgia Tom: “It’s Tight Like That”
- Thomas Dorsey & Marion Williams: “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”
- Sweet Honey in the Rock: “Wade in the Water”
- James Carter and the Prisoners: “Po’ Lazarus”
- Blind Lemon Jefferson: Prison Cell Blues
Chapter 2 – Singing and Voice Science (Scott McCoy)
- Your Voice: An Inside View
- National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS)
- National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS)
- The Voice Foundation (TVF)
Chapter 3 – Vocal Health and the CCM Singer (Wendy LeBorgne)
- National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS)
- Power Performance for Singers: Transcending the Barriers
- Visualizations for Singers
- Supplemental Bibliography
Chapter 4 – The Magic and Mechanics of Blues Singing
- Bessie Smith: “St. Louis Blues”
- Joe Williams with Count Basie Band: “Everyday I Have the Blues”
- Etta James: "Roll with Me Henry (aka ‘Wallflower’)”
Chapter 5 – DASC: Early Blues Women
- Mamie Smith: “Crazy Blues”
- Ma Rainey: “See See Rider Blues”
- Bessie Smith: “Jailhouse Blues”
- Bessie Smith: “Saint Louis Blues”
- Bessie Smith: “Backwater Blues”
Chapter 6 – DASC: Early Blues Men (and Another Woman)
- Robert Johnson: “Come on in My Kitchen”
- Robert Johnson: “Walkin’ Blues”
- Son House: “Walkin’ Blues”
- Victoria Spivey: “Black Snake Blues”
- Blind Lemon Jefferson: “Black Snake Moan”
- Leroy Carr: “How Long Blues”
- Jimmy Rushing with Count Basie: “How Long Blues”
- Leroy Carr: “When the Sun Goes Down”
- Memphis Minnie: “If You See My Rooster, Please Run Him on Back Home”
- Big Bill Broonzy: “Backwater Blues”
- Bessie Smith: “Backwater Blues”
Chapter 7 – DASC: Chicago Blues and the Modern Blues Sound
- Chicago Blues Documentary (1972)
- Muddy Waters: “I Just Wanna Make Love to You”
- Muddy Waters: “Hoochie Coochie Man”
- Dinah Washington:“Blow Top Blues”
- Etta James: “Roll with Me Henry (aka ‘Wallflower’)
- Etta James: “Tough Lover”
- Etta James: “I Just Wanna Make Love to You”
- Howlin’ Wolf: “Moanin’ at Midnight”
- Howlin’ Wolf: “Smokestack Lightning”
- Etta James: “Smokestack Lighting”
- BB King: “Three O’Clock Blues”
- Lowell Fulson: “Three O’Clock Blues”
- BB King: “The Thrill Is Gone”
Chapter 8 – Making a Soulful Sound and Writing Your Own Blues
- ZZ Hill: “Down Home Blues”
- Mose Allison: “Ever Since the World Ended”
- Shemekia Copeland: “Ghetto Child”
- Shemekia Copeland: “Ain’t Gonna Be Your Tatoo”
- Shemekia Copeland: “Crossbone Beach”
- Shemekia Copeland: “Drivin’ out of Nashville”
- Taj Mahal: “Fishin’ Blues”
Chapter 9 – Using Audio Enhancement Technology (Matthew Edwards)
Equipment Manufacturers:
Recommended Equipment:
- SM58 Microphone (with on/off switch)
- Behringer Eurolive B212XL
- TC-Helicon Voice Live Play Vocal Effects Processor
- 10-Foot XLR Cable
Comparisons of Singers (on and off mic):
Tutorials:
Trade Publications:
