Book Description

ON THE SEVENTH HOUR OF THE SEVENTH DAY,ONE-NOSE WILLIE HEARD PORKCHOP SAY:"THE GYPSY WOMAN TOLD ME'A CLOUD UP IN THE SKIESGON' PART JUST LIKE A CURTAINAND YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES!'"And with the same rollin', rhymin' verse that's driven many a classic Blues song, "The Blues Parade" follows best buds Pork Chop and One Nose Willie's journey of discovery from the Mighty Tribes of Africa thru the Middle Passage, Emancipation, the Great Northern Migration and the British Invasion to the streets of Wang Dang Doodle City in a celebration of the language, legends and legacy of America's most resonant art form.Yes, the cloud DOES part like a curtain, revealing Captain Eddie Shaw's paper ship, from which, unrolling like a carpet, descends Beale Street. And down Beale Street, into the heart of a cheering Wang Dang Doodle City they roll: Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley?.WILD CATS WITH WILD NAMESGONE WILD ON GUITARS.LIKE A CIRCUS IN A GUMBOON A FERRIS WHEEL TO MARS.Grammy-Winner Terry Abrahamson draws on his life among the Blues greats to capture all the magic of the larger-than-life heroes who gave us Rock & Roll. Page after page, he weaves a broad and seamless tapestry rich with vibrant and engaging celebrations of history, Black studies, music, divergence of the English language, and Art as a Tool for Survival.WITNESS: Furry Lewis presented not just as a Blues singer/guitarist, but as a Memphis street sweeper, cueing a moment of reverent recognition forDr. King's involvement with the Memphis Sanitation Workers.WITNESS: Ruthie Foster's disrupting a plantation English class as the narrative explains:THE MIGHTY TRIBES OF AFRICATOOK EACH NEW WORD TO HEART.THEY'D LIST 'EM, THEN THEY'D TWIST 'EM,TURNIN' TALKIN' INTO ART."The Blues Parade" explodes with whimsy, color, music and a resonance that translates to virtually any medium, enlivens a cross-section of school curricula, and benefits from live interactive presentations of both "The Booksibition," - an art installation featuring blow-ups of the 32 pages, with read-along study guides.