Overview

A groundbreaking account of the eclectic history, influence, and music of New Orleans’ early years

Offering a new perspective on the unique cultural influences of New Orleans, this entertaining history captures the soul of the city and reveals its impact on the rest of the nation. Focused on New Orleans’ first century of existence, a comprehensive, chronological narrative of the political, cultural, and musical development of Louisiana’s early years is presented. This innovative history tracks the important roots of American music back to the swamp town, making clear the effects of centuries-long struggles among France, Spain, and England on the city’s unique culture. The origins of jazz and the city’s eclectic musical influences, including the role of the slave trade, are also revealed. Featuring little-known facts about the cultural development of New Orleans—such as the real significance of gumbo, the origins of the tango, and the first appearance of the words vaudeville and voodoo—this rich historical narrative explains how New Orleans’ colonial influences shape the city still today.

Reviews

"This articulate and intensely researched history provides not only an impressive look at its subject but also should serve as a model for any future works on great American cities. Cultural studies and history do not get much better than this, a must read for anyone who wonders why this city must be saved." —Booklist

"An unmatchable snapshot of the exhilarating yet often ugly 1960s soul music scene." —Kirkus Reviews

"Made me weep." —The New Yorker

"A fresh a very readable book of scholarship . . . Sublette gets contemporary New Orleans." —The Times Picayune

"With staggering erudition and dazzling style, Sublette weaves things you always wanted to know together in a harmonious whole." —Madison Smartt Bell, author, Toussaint Louverture and All Souls' Rising

"The best argument yet for why we need to save New Orleans." —The Boston Globe

"A compelling portrait of the city as a capital of the Caribbean, an irrepressible source of artistic and political creativity." —Laurent Dubois, author, Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution

"With great detail and talented telling, Sublette especially chronicles the paths slaves took to New Orleans and how those paths led to the city’s personality today." —The Tampa Tribune

Author Biography

Ned Sublette is the author of Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo. Cofounder of the record label Qbadisc, he coproduced the public radio program Afropop Worldwide for seven years. A writer, record producer, and musician, he lives in New York City.