BLOG: Learning a little more about the blues
I read “Feel Like Going Home,” by Peter Guralnick, published in 1971, a Christmas present from my sister, who is fascinated by the black American experience and makes the case that black contributions to that experience — to our history and culture — far outweigh what you’d expect, given the percentage of black people in the country’s population. In the case of American music, which is Guralnick’s interest, you could argue, she says, the influence of black Americans is so large that American music is black music, with influences from other groups and cultures.
Guralnick is a longtime music critic and writer, who has also written books about Robert Johnson and Sam Phillips and a large, two-volume biography of Elvis Presley. “Feel Like Going Home” is an early book by Guralnick that brings together portraits of a handful of mostly blues musicians, including Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, along with influential figures in the blues recording industry, such as Phillips and Phil Chess of Chess Records.
Guralnick’s short portraits are informal and intimate, reflecting his longtime immersion in blues music, admiration for the musicians themselves and knowledge of the music’s history. The book strikes a balance between encyclopedic and indulgent — it informs in an engaging, personal way that keeps the focus on the music and the musicians. Guralnick doesn’t avoid inserting his own feelings, but he doesn’t make himself the focus in the unfortunate way that some music critics do, especially in the pages of Rolling Stone magazine.
This is a wonderful introductory book for people like me who have an interest in blues music but don’t know much about it.
Will Doolittle is projects editor at The Post-Star. He may be reached at will@poststar.com and followed on his blog, I think not, and on Twitter at
@trafficstatic.