1st Edition
Words and Songs of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Nina Simone Sound Motion, Blues Spirit, and African Memory
1. Introduction 2. Catching the Blues Spirit 3. Musing African Memory 4. 3 Women 5. Sound Motion and Spirit 6. Summary and Conclusion. Appendix 1: Discography. Appendix 2: Life Profile Matrix. Appendix 3: Life Profile Matrix: Analytical Categories Quantified per Singer. Appendix 4: Life Profile Matrix: Analytical Categories Thematically Qualified. Appendix 5: Life Profile/Song Matrices. Appendix 6: Discography of Selected Song Performances on CD. Appendix Seven: Selected Songs/Prevalent Themes Matrices. Appendix Eight: Explanation of Nzuri Model Contexts. Appendix Nine: Application of Nzuri to Selected Song Performances
Biography
Melanie E. Bratcher is a native of Oklahoma and descendent of parents who experienced sharecropping, she is the first in her family to graduate college. As a singer, dancer and scholar, her most relevant publication entitled "Tribute" was performed at the University of Oklahoma where she is Assistant Professor of African & African American Studies.
