PORTRAITS OF THE BLUES

Every publishing company starts with one book. Ours is launched with Portraits of the Blues, a book by Darrell Arnold, with portraits by Irena Gapkovska. The book was developed to accompany a record by the same name that is published through Arco Records. Portraits of the Blues includes a book and album. It is an introduction to the music and worldviews of key Delta and Texas blues artists from the early twentieth century.

The musicians highlighted are Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Robert Petway, and Lightnin’ Hopkins. The book author, Darrell Arnold, is an academic philosopher, and the book reflects his philosophical training. While it does not provide an overview of each musician’s “philosophy of life,” it does approach the lives of the musicians through a philosophical lens. It discusses the musicians’ views of the blues and religion, and ways in which their music in many cases came to have a certain political force, even without the artists’ intent.