arbors
blues in black and white the landmark ann arbor blues festivals
p this was really the first time that blues music especially chicago urban blues was showcased in this way . sadly the festivals were not recorded professionally . so mr. livingstons photos are the best record of the festivals . br michael jewett longtime weekday afternoon host of 89.1 jazz and host of blues & some uthuh stuff p the photos are works of art . it is great to see photos of musicians such as buddy guy and james cotton looking so young and vibrant . and it is great to see photos of blues legends such as john lee hooker roosevelt sykes howlin wolf and son house who have long since passed away . br peter madcat ruth grammy winning blues harmonica player p if woodstock was one of the fifty moments that changed rock n roll history as honored in rolling stone magazine then the ann arbor blues festival was the coronation for the blues roots that sired rock to begin with ... . finally we have this amazing book of stanley livingstons priceless images along with michael erlewines detailed chronology . br from the foreword by jim oneal cofounder living blues magazine p in 1969 and 1970 the first ann arbor blues festivals brought together the greatest ever selection of blues performers an enormous blues party that seemed to feature every big name in the world of blues . p the ann arbor blues festival was just that a festival and celebration of city blues . it helped to mark the discovery of modern blues music and the musicians who made that music by a much larger audience . the festival however was something more than just a white audience discovering black music . p never before had such a far reaching list of performers been assembled including the grandfathers of southern country blues and the hottest electric bands from chicago . these groundbreaking festivals were the seed that grew into the ann arbor blues and jazz festival which was continued annually for many years . to name just a few of the dozens of artists who performed at the festival luther allison john lee hooker howlin wolf b.b. king muddy waters otis rush hound dog taylor big mama thorton t bone walker sippie wallace junior wells and mighty joe young . p stanley livingston a professional photographer from ann arbor captured these legendary performances onstage as well as the goings on backstage . livingstons thousands of photographs from these festivals previously unpublished and known only to a few are among the finest candid blues shots ever taken . together with editor and archivist michael erlewines text accompaniments these photographs reproduced here as high quality duotones comprise a visual history and important keepsake for blues aficionados everywhere . p stanley livingston was an award winning photographer living and working in ann arbor until he passed away in 2010 after the book was released . p michael erlewine also from ann arbor is a renowned archivist of popular culture and founder of the all music guide allmusic.com and editor of a number of books on blues and jazz . p cover photo of b.b. king by stanley livingston