LemuriaBooks

The beginning of many conversations at the book store -what are you reading? Of course you can't list everything, so you try to think of the most interesting. I've been reading a book that's been in my stack since it came out in Hardback as MACHERS AND ROCKERS in 2004. The paperback edition is called THE RECORD MEN and is the story of Leonard Chess and Chess Records. If you don't know, Chess was the record company that recorded Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Rogers, Willie Dixon, Little Walter, etc. Muddy's story alone is amazing - from his front porch on the Stovall plantation near Clarksdale, MS to being the man who birthed Rock and Roll (i.e. the Blues had a baby and they named the baby Rock and Roll - if you don't own HARD AGAIN go to itunes right now and buy it) Anyway, usually Chess is portrayed as the villain who took advantage of the blues men, but Cohen's book may be a little more realistic. I'm only half way through, but Cohen draws parrallels between the blues men up from the Delta - in a strange world, and Chess the Jewish immigrant, trying to make it in the business world. Interesting, but even if Cohen fails to pull it off, I'm transfixed by the Muddy Waters story - makes me want to reread Robert Gordon's bio.