Barrelhouse Words
A Blues Dialect Dictionary| By: | Stephen Calt |
| Publisher: | University of Illinois Press |
| Print ISBN: | 9780252076602 |
| eText ISBN: | 9780252090714 |
| Edition: | 0 |
| Copyright: | 2009 |
| Format: | Reflowable |
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This fascinating compendium explains the most unusual, obscure, and curious words and expressions from vintage blues music. Utilizing both documentary evidence and invaluable interviews with a number of now-deceased musicians from the 1920s and '30s, blues scholar Stephen Calt unravels the nuances of more than twelve hundred idioms and proper or place names found on oft-overlooked "race records" recorded between 1923 and 1949. From "aggravatin' papa" to "yas-yas-yas" and everything in between, this truly unique, racy, and compelling resource decodes a neglected speech for general readers and researchers alike, offering invaluable information about black language and American slang.