From Library Journal
Honeyboy Edwards is one of the last of the original practitioners of the acoustic Delta blues style. Born in 1915 to a sharecropping family in Mississippi, he received a secondhand Sears, Roebuck guitar at 14 and was on the road with Big Joe Williams within three years. His journey had him playing with every blues legend from Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters. Although his temper and his inability to stay in one place for long limited his recorded output, the tales he tells here confirm him as the archetypal bluesman making his way through life via women, music, and gambling. In addition to being a who's who of blues performers and an encyclopedia of blues styles, this book offers a seldom-seen look at the social mores of poor, rural, Southern African Americans from the Depression through World War II. Compiled over five years from interviews by Martinson and Frank, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the blues or African American life.?Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YAAThis biography is a blend of music, history, and masterful storytelling. Edwards does not have any regrets about his 65 plus years as a traveling country-blues musician. Now 82, he lovingly describes community life and family events during this childhood. Arranged chronologically, the book transports readers back to the days of the Depression and the harsh realities of segregation. As a young musician, "Honeyboy" walked, hitchhiked, or hoboed to various destinations under the threat of vagrancy laws. He was arrested by white sheriffs or farmers and sent to the county farm or jail. He doesn't cover up the brutality that he experienced due to class and color. He spins tales of gambling, romance, and classic blues artists, both male and female. Finally he reflects on his God-given talent. He writes vividly of another time and place. Appendixes include brief biographical sketches on blues performers and their songs and Honeyboy's recordings. Black-and-white pictures depict the places and people he mentions. Honeyboy's passion for the blues and his strong recollections will absorb readers.AConnie Freeman, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
