The Blues: The Authentic Narrative of My Music and Culture by Chris Thomas King

“A passionate narrative that will attract attention, debate, and ruffled feathers.” 

–– Kirkus Reviews 

A fascinating historical account and personal history written by local blues legend Chris Thomas King, The Blues: The Authentic Narrative of My Music and Culture is this year’s One Book One Community book selection. In the book King draws on years of documented research to argue that the blues actually emerged as a cosmopolitan art form in Louisiana, and not as a rural one born out of the Mississippi Delta, as conventional wisdom has long maintained.

Michael White, the noted jazz-clarinetist, scholar, and Xavier University professor, has described King’s book as a deconstruction of the “… ‘fairy tale’ of the Mississippi Delta blues creation story, largely crafted by white folklorists and musicologists to suit their own, sometimes racist ideologies and narratives. By contrast, The Blues presents a rigorously researched, 400-page account related by an actual practitioner of the art form.”

EBR Library’s Jessica McDaniel points out that Chris Thomas King is living proof that Louisiana blues culture isn’t all about New Orleans, and that Baton Rouge has its own, distinctive blues culture—one that King and his father, Tabby Thomas, played a defining role in developing. “King is entrenched in Baton Rouge blues culture, and his book delivers an authentic narrative of his hometown’s music and culture,” McDaniel explains. EBRPL Assistant Director Mary Stein agrees, noting that since a significant branch of the blues has roots set deep in Baton Rouge, this year’s One Book One Community selection represents an important effort to celebrate and honor that legacy. 

Josh Hill, EBRPL Community Programming and Outreach Librarian, notes that each year, the topics for the library’s One Book One Community program are selected with the goal of fostering discussion and encouraging the sharing of ideas amongst library patrons. Noting that the blues encompasses much more than just music, Hill observes that any exploration of the blues in Baton Rouge must consider the region’s history, cultures, and communities, too. McDaniel echoes the sentiment, noting that publication of The Blues represents an opportunity for opening up conversations about blues music, music education, Black history, Baton Rouge history, and related topics, all of which have a place in One Book One Community’s programming and book discussions.