Wichita blues

the long version

This work begins with a general overview of the national phenomena of the blues, and moves quickly to Wichita Black history. There are lengthy interviews with African American musicians, gamblers, and participants in the city’s sporting life. Kansas Libraries, of the Kansas State Library, states that O’Connor “is the perfect author for Wichita Blues: Discovery, a 120-page work complete with 15 photos that takes a serious look at the blues....The study of this ethnic group is as great a contribution to Wichita and Kansas literature as the music itself.” The original Black Wichita neighborhood, settled in part by Exodusters, is discussed in the book. And the club scene--the blues music that drew people in and made them into a community--is talked about in detail. Several musicians who played the juke joints on Murdock, Ninth Street, and North Broadway are honored including HARMONICA CHUCK, DAVID CARR, and ALONZO MILLS.