Blues and Evil

The term “blues” has traditionally conveyed an image of hard-living, hard-drinking, carousing singers and musicians grinding out melancholy tunes and evil lyrics. Contesting that stereotypical notion, this study argues that spiritual values are clearly reflected in the blues’ mythologized history, folk-theological language, and philosophical speculation on the dual existence of good and evil. By using a theomusicalogical approach, Yahya Jongintaba (formerly Jon Michael Spencer) is able to push a