Author: Debra Devi

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi considers the crossroads as a spiritual and cultural symbol, and how it became inseparable from the legend of Robert Johnson.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi steps into the world of the cutting contest, drawing on pianist Dr. John’s memories of the late-night jam sessions and rivalries that pushed musicians to their limits.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi contextualizes cross-note and Bentonia tuning within the evolution of country blues and Mississippi’s musical heritage.

In Cross-Spanish tuning, the guitar is tuned to E major (E B E G# B E). If you strum the guitar without fretting any notes, you will sound an E major chord. Cross-Spanish tuning is popular with slide players because simply by fretting straight across the neck with the slide, you can play major chords. Son House is credited with naming this tuning “cross-Spanish.” It was Duane Allman’s favorite slide-guitar tuning and is popular with great modern blues players like Derek Trucks. Many delta blues bottleneck players also used Spanish tuning, which is open G (D G D G B…

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi maps the cross from hoodoo ritual to the mystical crossroads of the blues.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, black crepe shifts from mourning ritual to lyrical code, carrying loss, warning, and emotional finality through classic blues songs.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi follows the story of the cooling board, from home porches in the South to the verses of Blind Willie McTell and Son House, where death, ritual, and music converge.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi follows the deep blue current of “cool” from African philosophy into the blues, where character, composure, silence, and generosity become the language of soul.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi decodes the conjure bag, or mojo hand, exploring how root doctors use flannel colors, ingredients, and ritual feeding to cast spells, protect love, bring money, bless babies, and shape fortune in blues-rooted folk magic.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi decodes the “comb,” from its origins as a homemade kazoo to its role in harmonica history and blues slang.