Willie Joe Roberts Lyric Fragment
Title
Willie Joe Roberts Lyric Fragment
Subject
Blues
Description
The blues allowed performers and audiences to criticize racial oppression, working conditions, and other aspects of life in the South. This lyric fragment recorded by Zora Neale Hurston displays a common form of social criticism in blues lyrics. Jacksonville-based performer Willie Joe Roberts redirected his anger over the illiterate overseer who controlled his life and labor into a sharp ironic thrust. This was a common device in Southern blues lyrics.
Creator
Hurston, Zora Neale
Source
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/sampler/HurstonProposalforFL.pdf
Publisher
Library of Congress
Date
May 23, 1939
Rights
No known restrictions
Format
Image/png
Language
English
Type
Image
Files
Citation
Hurston, Zora Neale, “Willie Joe Roberts Lyric Fragment,” The Sunshine Stroll: Music and Politics on the Florida Chitlin’ Circuit, 1935-1970, accessed April 27, 2024, https://cbcrenshaw.omeka.net/items/show/5.