Black Pearls: Blues Queens of the 1920s

Rating:
Summary: Black Pearls
Review: Black Pearls is the first novel I've read that depicts what was going on in Hawaii during the 1880s. The story's characters were ok, but the hero Peter Darien was really controlling when it came to the heroine Rosalind. I think the book could have had a lot more romance and conflict.

Rating:
Summary: Black Pearls
Review: Black Pearls is the first novel I've read that depicts what was going on in Hawaii during the 1880s. The story's characters were ok, but the hero Peter Darien was really controlling when it came to the heroine Rosalind. I think the book could have had a lot more romance and conflict.

Rating:
Summary: Great Intro to Women Blues
Review: Did you know that women were the first popular blues singers? Black Pearls explores the pioneering women who in the 20's changed the record instustry and music as we know it. Having read a few blues books by now, I found that portions in the introductory sections lacked the sort of awe-inspiring insight that makes for an excellent blues book. And my attention span had me skipping half-way through the chapter on lyrical analysis. Howvever, once I got to the sections that focus on the individual performers, this book excelled. There are many who seem hellbent on denying these particular women a hallowed place in the history of popular music (read Alan Lomax's brief dismissal of the classic blues era in his "The Land Where the Blues Began"), but Harrison's prodigious biographical and musical insights really open the door to a greater appreciation of the women she features. As a companion, I might suggest the cd "Classic Blues Women" by Rhino Records.