• NEWS
  • REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • EVENTS
  • VIDEOS

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from Blues Scene about music & art.

Exclusive Premiere: MEM_MODS Create Cinematic Suspense in ‘Midtown Miscommunication’

February 6, 2023

High Moon Records Unveils First-Ever Anthology From Singer-Songwriter Laurie Styvers

February 3, 2023

Exclusive: Sarah Rogo Premieres Video for ‘All of These Things Must Die’ From New Concept Album

February 3, 2023

Jefferson Berry Shares His ‘Dreams of Modern Living’

February 2, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Facebook Twitter Instagram Vimeo
American Blues SceneAmerican Blues Scene
  • NEWS
  • REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • EVENTS
  • VIDEOS
American Blues SceneAmerican Blues Scene
Home»News»The Language of the Blues: CHECKERBOARD
News

The Language of the Blues: CHECKERBOARD

Debra DeviBy Debra DeviAugust 22, 2013Updated:April 10, 2020No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email VKontakte WhatsApp
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones Live at the Checkerboard Lounge
Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones Live at the Checkerboard Lounge

This is the latest installment in our weekly series, The Language of the Blues, in which author and rocker Debra Devi focuses on the meaning and significance of a unique word used in blues song. Come back every week for the latest! Devi’s The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to ZuZu is now available at Bluescentric.com!

Not only words and music, but potent signs and symbols from Africa enrich American culture. The Ejagham people of southwestern Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria created an ideographic form of writing called nsibidi. These sacred signs designated the meeting places and plans of secret societies that governed the ethical and moral lives of Ejagham people.

These secret societies exercised real power. The members of the executioner society, for example, were men of the tribe who had been endowed by the king with the authority to hunt down and kill convicted murderers.

The checkerboard pattern was the symbol of the king’s leopard society, which was comprised of the king and his governing body. The checkerboard represented the spots of the king’s power animal, the leopard. Its grace, speed and fearsome strength made the leopard the perfect embodiment of royalty. The king was believed to have a leopard spirit that leapt into action when the king was in danger, carrying him away to safety.

Among African Americans, the checkerboard became the symbol for another masculine sanctuary–the corner bar. Like the fabled Checkerboard Lounge on the South Side of Chicago, opened by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells in 1972, many blues clubs and bars use the checkerboard name and symbol.

Song:
“Friar’s Point”- Susan Tedeschi and John Hambridge

VIDEO
“Country Boy” – Muddy Waters Live at the Checkerboard Lounge

“Friar’s Point” – Susan Tedeschi with Lightning Malcom and Victor Wainwright

Pick up a copy of The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu at Bluescentric

Checkerboard Checkerboard Lounge John Hambridge Muddy Waters The Language of the Blues
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp
Previous ArticleSid Bernstein Passes Away
Next Article 2013 King Biscuit Blues Festival’s Call and Response Symposium to Feature Veteran Blues Icons
Debra Devi
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Debra Devi is a rock musician and the author of the award-winning blues glossary The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu (foreword by Dr. John). www.debradevi.com

Related Posts

High Moon Records Unveils First-Ever Anthology From Singer-Songwriter Laurie Styvers

February 3, 2023

Full Winners List for 2023 International Folk Music Awards

February 2, 2023

New Orleans Suspects and Sol Roots Perform at The Hamilton Live

February 1, 2023

Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison, Adrian Belew Announce Additional 2023 ‘Remain In Light’ Tour Dates

January 31, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Advertisment
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Events
  • Videos
  • About

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.