"Kennedy's Blues: African American Blues and Gospel Songs on
JFK" collects in a single volume the blues and gospel songs written
by African Americans about the presidency of John F. Kennedy and
offers a close analysis of Kennedy's hold upon the African American
imagination. These blues and gospel songs have never been
transcribed and analyzed in a systematic way, so this volume
provides a hitherto untapped source on the perception of one of the
most intriguing American presidents.
After eight years of Republican rule the young Democratic
president received a warm welcome from African Americans. However,
with the Cold War military draft and the slow pace of civil rights
measures, inspiration temporarily gave way to impatience.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, the March on
Washington, the groundbreaking civil rights bill--all found their
way into blues and gospel songs. The many blues numbers devoted to
the assassination and the president's legacy are evidence of JFK's
near-canonization by African Americans. Blues historian Guido van
Rijn shows that John F. Kennedy became a mythical hero to blues
songwriters despite what was left unaccomplished.
Guido van Rijn is teacher of English at Kennemer Lyceum in
Overveen, the Netherlands. His previous books include "The Truman
and Eisenhower Blues: African American Blues and Gospel Songs,
1945-1960."
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