doomandgloomfromthetomb: The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie by John Jeremiah Sullivan A well-nigh unbel
doomandgloomfromthetomb: The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie by John Jeremiah Sullivan A well-nigh unbelievable journey into the depths of pre-war American blues is now online and at newsstands in the New York Times Magazine today. Sullivan really is the best writer out there right now and he may have outdone himself with this one, both deepening the mystery at the heart of the story and stripping away any romanticized BS that sometimes accompanies blues writing. Whatever, just go read it! At the bottom of the page you can download mp3s by the article’s titular singers, Elvie “L.V.” Thomas and Geeshie Wiley. You may also want to check out Sullivan’s Unknown Bards piece, published in Harper’s a few years back, which can now serve as a prelude to the NY Times feature. -- source link