Chasin' That Devil Music

I've just recently finished reading a book entitled "Chasin' That Devil Music" by Gayle Dean Wardlow. Anyone who has ever read a book on the subject of blues history, at some point, has heard his name pop up.

Gayle Dean Wardlow was born on August 31st in Freer, Texas. At the age of 6 he moved to Meridian, Mississippi where he grew up and became interested in collecting old records. He originally sought out rare blues recordings to trade and acquire country and hillbilly discs.

Fortunately for blues fans the world over, Wardlow began to focus on blues recordings and investigating the lives of Mississippi blues musicians. He has since become one if not the most important blues researchers in the world. His investigations into the lives of blues legends like Charlie Patton and H.C. Speir have cemented his place as one of the world's leading authorities on country blues. One of his most illustrious discoveries is the uncovering of Robert Johnson's death certificate. Simply put, if not for his meticulous research and countless interviews with people like Ishmon Bracey, a great deal of the knowledge we have about the pioneers of blues music would likely have been lost forever.

"Chasin' That Devil Music" is a collection of articles Wardlow has written since the sixties for magazines such as Blues Unlimited, Living Blues, 78 Quarterly and Guitar Player.

If you're looking to read a blues history with a comprehensive narrative, this might not be the book for you. For that I recommend "Delta Blues" by Ted Gioia, or the blues lover's bible, "Deep Blues" by Robert Palmer. This book is about blues research and it reads as such. Wardlow's writing style is nothing close to approaching lyrical, it's plain and to the point. Many of the articles are about obscure musicians that might not be of interest to the casual blues fan. This stuff is 100% proof rotgut. The real deal.

Although some of the articles seem esoteric, many are enormously entertaining and informative. For me the highlights of this book are the pieces on Patton(actually written by Benard Klatzko with GDW), H.C Speir, Tommy Johnson, Blind Joe Reynolds and last but not least, Robert Johnson.

Also included in this book is an audio CD of over 20 great delta blues performances, as well as clips from interviews Wardlow conducted as part of his research. Most of the tracks are from Wardlow's very own collection and serve as a great companion to the reading materials. Well worth the price of the book itself.

I recommend this book to anyone who is seriously seeking to learn about the history of this great music. The importance of Wardlow's research in this field cannot be overstated. In fact, in 2006, "Chasin' That Devil Music" was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall Of Fame as a classic of blues literature. Good enough for me...I'm sold.