This week in books: Lynnee Denise, aka DJ Scholarship, has written a sprawling examination of the importance and relevance of Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton; and Kimberly Mack covers the powerful ‘Time’s Up’ by the iconic Black rock band, Living Colour. These authors are titans in their field, and these books continue to solidify the Black musical canon as time marches on.
Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters by Lynnée Denise | (University of Texas Press) – September 2023
The enigmatically intelligent and scholarly productive thinker, Lynnée Denise, who has made strides in Black realms of music for well over a decade is now presenting a new book. “Why Willie Mae Thornton Matters” gives an honest and incredibly bright examination of the relevance of Big Mama Thornton. “Denise connects Thornton’s vaude-villes-que performances in Sammy Green’s Hot Harlem Revue to the vocal improvisations that made ‘Hound Dog’ a hit for Peacock Records (and later for Elvis Presley), injecting music criticism into what’s often framed as a cautionary tale of record-industry racism. She interprets Thornton’s performing in men’s suits as both a sly, Little Richard–like queering of the Chitlin Circuit and a simple preference for pants over dresses that didn’t have a pocket for her harmonica,” writes the University of Texas Press.
Living Colour’s Time’s Up, 33 ⅓ book series by Kimberly Mack | (Bloomsbury) – May 2023
Associate Professor at the University of Toledo, Kimberly Mack returns with her third book, “Living Colour’s Time’s Up” for the established music book series 33 ⅓ from Bloomsbury. Her academic prowess and ability to finely tune the history of Black rock music makes the book an informative and exciting read, as she traverses through the contemporary sound of rock music. The book illustrates the music journey of LC’s 1990 follow-up album to their commercially successful debut album, “Vivid.” Bloomsbury writes a crystal clear depiction of the literary layout of the book, what it covers, and Mack’s intelligent involvement. “Living Colour’s sophomore effort holds great relevance in light of its forward-thinking politics and lyrical engagement with racism, classism, police brutality, and other social and political issues of great importance. Through interviews with members of Living Colour, and others involved in the making of Time’s Up, Kimberly Mack explores the creation and reception of this artistically challenging album, while examining the legacy of this culturally important and groundbreaking American rock band.”
It is difficult to express how important both these Black woman music experts and historians are to our communities. They have both dedicated their lives and written with such style, power, and grace, along with kindness and humility; they tend to sit on the periphery of the mainstream. But they are in the game—they are invested in the forward-movement of Black music and thought, and it is not so much that they need to be household names, but their names should be amplified, and any struggle nullified simply because of their dedication and profound intellectual fervor. Look out for these books and please, support Black women.