Kevin D. Greene
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781469646497
- eISBN:
- 9781469646510
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469646497.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
Between the turn of the twentieth century to his death in 1958, William “Big Bill Broonzy” was one of the most successful and recorded bluesmen of the period. Widley regarded as the most important of ...
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Between the turn of the twentieth century to his death in 1958, William “Big Bill Broonzy” was one of the most successful and recorded bluesmen of the period. Widley regarded as the most important of all pre-WWII blues artists, Broonzy’s long and remarkable career offer a glimpse into the development of African American celebrity within modern American history. Big Bill, in conjunction with and sometimes in opposition against a host of promoters, producers, academicians, and audiences, invented and reinvented his identity across his career in a remarkably fluid way. Each audience and generation brought its own expectations with them as they consumed Big Bill’s music and discovered his humanity. Broonzy’s long and unapparelled career stemmed from his ability to recognize these expectations, use them to his own advantage, and, in turn, transform his self-presentation and evolving black consciousness into modern celebrity.Less
Between the turn of the twentieth century to his death in 1958, William “Big Bill Broonzy” was one of the most successful and recorded bluesmen of the period. Widley regarded as the most important of all pre-WWII blues artists, Broonzy’s long and remarkable career offer a glimpse into the development of African American celebrity within modern American history. Big Bill, in conjunction with and sometimes in opposition against a host of promoters, producers, academicians, and audiences, invented and reinvented his identity across his career in a remarkably fluid way. Each audience and generation brought its own expectations with them as they consumed Big Bill’s music and discovered his humanity. Broonzy’s long and unapparelled career stemmed from his ability to recognize these expectations, use them to his own advantage, and, in turn, transform his self-presentation and evolving black consciousness into modern celebrity.
