A Left Hand Like God - A Study Of Boogie-Woogie - Peter Silvester


aka 'A Left Hand Like God - A History Of Boogie-Woogie Piano'


Boogie Woogie - this exhilarating, noisy offspring of American blues music was first played by black American pianists in barrelhouses and joints serving as places of entertainment for the black labour force working in the lumber and railway construction industries of the Deep South.

The start of USA-wide interest and international recognition was the performances of the Big Three (Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons) at Carnegie Hall in the late 1930s, and hence the piano style moved from the ghetto to the Cafe Society nightclubs of New York.

The book consists of 324 pages that chronicle the early pioneers of boogie woogie through to players who carry on the tradition. It covers just about everything you need to know about the players, their history and style of playing. A short discography, an index, black and white photographs and line drawings of posters and labels are included. Published in 1988. 

'A Left Hand Like God' by Peter Silvester, is a very well written and researched look at the history of how and where boogie woogie piano developed.

This rare and out-of-print book is a must-have for fans of boogie woogie and the best book there is for anyone interested in boogie woogie, e.g. teachers and students.


In addition to the book, a small number of carefully picked boogie woogie songs are included:

1923 - Clay Custer - The Rocks
1924 - Jimmy Blythe - Chicaco Stomps
1924 - Hersal Thomas (piano roll) - The Fives
1928 - Pinetop Smith - Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
1928 - Pinetop Smith - Jump Steady Blues
1935 - Meade Lux Lewis - Honky Tonk Train Blues
1938 - Pete Johnson and Big Joe Turner - Roll 'Em, Pete
1938 - Ammons-Lewis-Johnson - Boogie Woogie Prayer Part 1
1938 - Ammons-Lewis-Johnson - Boogie Woogie Prayer Part 2
1939 - Jimmy Yancey - Yancey Stomp
1939 - Albert Ammons - Boogie Woogie Stomp
1940 - Meade Lux Lewis - Six Wheel Chaser
1944 - Albert Ammons - The Boogie Rocks
1944 - Pete Johnson - Dive Bomber
1944 - Pete Johnson - Kaycee Feeling
1979 - Charlie Norman - Boogie 68
1985 - Axel Zwingenberger - Boogie Woogie Be With Me
1996 - Michael Kaeshammer - Honky Tonk Train Blues

(all songs are in MP3-format)


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