Lost Delta found
Book Description
In the early 1940s, while renowned folklorist Alan Lomax traveled through the Mississippi Delta documenting blues music, three African American scholars from Fisk University were conducting their own groundbreaking research alongside him. "Lost Delta Found" brings to light the previously overlooked contributions of composer John W. Work, sociologist Lewis Wade Jones, and graduate student Samuel C. Adams Jr., whose meticulous fieldwork captured a deeper, more nuanced understanding of Delta culture.
Through their interviews, detailed observations, and musical transcriptions, these scholars revealed the profound connections between spirituality, community, and musical expression that shaped life in the Delta. Their work illuminates how religious faith, social justice concerns, and daily struggles were intricately woven into the region's rich musical traditions, offering perspectives that mainstream documentation had missed or minimized.
Robert Gordon's careful examination of their research uncovers an alternative narrative that honors the complexity of African American experience in the Delta. Rather than simply cataloging songs, these scholars understood music as inseparable from the spiritual and social fabric of the communities they studied. Their findings demonstrate how blues music emerged from and reflected the deeper currents of faith, resilience, and cultural identity that sustained people through challenging times.
This work offers readers insight into how authentic cultural understanding requires listening to voices from within communities themselves.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~10 hours)
📄 Length: 343 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Religion
- ✓ Explore Blues (Music)
- ✓ Explore Schwarze
- ✓ Explore African Americans
- ✓ Explore Blues (music), history and criticism
- ✓ Explore Religious life and customs
- ✓ Explore African americans, social life and customs
- ✓ Explore Music
