Browsing: Column

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi looks at the blues’ favorite word for a fool in love.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi explains how the chitlin’ circuit became both sanctuary and stage for generations of Black musicians during segregation, nurturing early careers from Little Milton to James Brown, B.B. King, and Jimi Hendrix.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi breaks down how the word “chitlins” carries centuries of language shifts, Southern foodways, and blues storytelling.

In the latest installment of Language of the Blues by author and rocker Debra Devi: how a pesky little bug made its way into blues lyrics.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi uncovers how the Wolof word jigen—once describing a sharp, worldly woman—evolved across continents and centuries into the modern slang chick.

In this installment of The Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi highlights the checkerboard’s path from African ceremonial power to Chicago’s legendary blues corners.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi shows how “cat” comes from West African griots and gave rise to the term “hepcat.”

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi traces how “the blues” evolved from 17th-century slang for delirium tremens to the rhythmic, emotional, and spiritual language born from African traditions, field hollers, and the will to survive.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi traces the Choctaw roots of “bayou” and how life in the Louisiana wetlands flows right into the music. Featuring a quote from Tab Benoit.

In this installment of Language of the Blues, author and rocker Debra Devi explores the eerie folklore of the black dog: ghostly hound, silent sentinel, and symbol of doom, danger, or devotion in blues lore.