1B: James Baldwin (1924-1987)

James Baldwin by Carl Van Vechten, September 13, 1955

General information about James Baldwin can be found at the sites hosted by CSPAN American Writers and PBS American Masters television programs. There is also a profile and video on him at bio.com.

Here's an excerpt of a documentary on Baldwin; it includes an interview with Baldwin as he talks about his family and remembers his life in Harlem:

Go to the Paris Review site and read the interview with him. If  the link is broken do a search for the magazine, Spring 1984, Issue 94.  Baldwin also gave a speech on civil rights and race at UC Berkeley on Jan. 15, 1979. You can watch an excerpt of it here:

    

CSPAN has a complete copy of the speech at their site and they profile Baldwin at this page. PBS American Masters did a program on Baldwin, called James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket. Unfortunately, they are no longer showing it on their website. However, there are selections of it on YouTube.

Music is a critical part of Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues." There are references to gospel, blues, jazz, and rhythm & blues. We watch, along with the narrator, how Sonny is entranced by a gospel group singing "The Old Ship of Zion."  Listen here to a version by the Roberta Martin Singers:

There's more. For the country blues, music the narrator's uncle likely played, listen to Robert Johnson and Blind Willie McTell, performing songs they recorded in the 1930s. For rhythm and blues, like the song the barmaid danced to, listen to Big Mama Thornton and Little Richard. FYI: Thornton first recorded "Hound Dog" in 1952; this performance on YouTube is from 1965. Elvis Presley first recorded "Hound Dog" in 1956. Little Richard wrote "Long Tall Sally" in 1956, and it was subsequently recorded by Elvis Presley, The Beatles and many other popular acts.

The great jazz pianist Sonny Clark, who performed in the 1950s and 1960s, is an example of what Baldwin's Sonny might have played in a New York nightclub. Examples of Clark's playing appear below. (Clark, as you guessed, is not related to Baldwin's Sonny.)

At the end of Baldwin's story, Sonny plays a version of "Am I Blue," a standard that has been recorded countless times. Read the lyrics:

Am I Blue? (from 1929)

by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke It was a morning, long before dawn Without a warning I found he was gone How could he do it Why should he do it He never done it before Am I blue Am I blue Ain’t these tears, in these eyes telling you How can you ask me am I blue Why, wouldn’t you be too If each plan With your man Done fell through There was a time When I was his only one But now i’m The sad and lonely one...lonely Was I gay Until today Now he’s gone, and we’re through Am I blue

Here's five recordings for your viewing and listening pleasure by Ethel Waters, Hoagy Carmichael, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles and Kevin Conroy.  What's your favorite?