Young CeDell Davis learns to play the blues unlike anyone else—with his guitar upside down and a butterknife in his hand—and becomes a legendary musician.
Renowned Black illustrator R. Gregory Christie brings the blues legend to life in this nonfiction picture book for ages 7–10.
For young CeDell Davis, the blues cut straight to his heart. He wanted to play, but he had no instrument. He became an inventor: nailing wire and a rusty barrel ring to the side of his house so he could jam all day.
When he finally got a real guitar, CeDell played better than ever–but when he was about 10 years old, his body grew weak. After years spent battling polio in the hospital, he was finally well enough to come home and dust off his guitar. But he couldn’t play it. Polio had weakened his left, fretting hand and stiffened his right, strumming hand. Turning his guitar upside down and grabbing a butterknife from the kitchen, CeDell invented a whole new way to play the blues—a way that would one day get him up on stage, jamming with his musical idols.
“It makes my heart so happy to see this book! I met CeDell in my mid-20s when I didn’t know the first thing about the blues. But his sound floored me and his spirit had an even greater impact on me. One of my mentors, Col. Bruce Hampton, turned us on to CeDell. We couldn’t believe our ears! Then we met him! Then we even got to play with him! Aside from the total musical wonder we experienced, the thing that honestly struck me the hardest was that CeDell was always lifting everyone else's spirits. His voice and guitar would also heal you for sure. He was a singular human being.”—Oteil Burbridge, two-time Grammy Award-winning bassist
“CeDell's life and music crackled and popped like an old 78 RPM record. As this book beautifully illustrates, his story was one of both loss and joy. Which is, of course, the story of the blues.”—Roger Stolle, Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art store, Clarksdale, MS
Young CeDell Davis learns to play the blues unlike anyone else—with his guitar upside down and a butterknife in his hand—and becomes a legendary musician.
Renowned Black illustrator R. Gregory Christie brings the blues legend to life in this nonfiction picture book for ages 7–10.
For young CeDell Davis, the blues cut straight to his heart. He wanted to play, but he had no instrument. He became an inventor: nailing wire and a rusty barrel ring to the side of his house so he could jam all day.
When he finally got a real guitar, CeDell played better than ever–but when he was about 10 years old, his body grew weak. After years spent battling polio in the hospital, he was finally well enough to come home and dust off his guitar. But he couldn’t play it. Polio had weakened his left, fretting hand and stiffened his right, strumming hand. Turning his guitar upside down and grabbing a butterknife from the kitchen, CeDell invented a whole new way to play the blues—a way that would one day get him up on stage, jamming with his musical idols.
Praise
“It makes my heart so happy to see this book! I met CeDell in my mid-20s when I didn’t know the first thing about the blues. But his sound floored me and his spirit had an even greater impact on me. One of my mentors, Col. Bruce Hampton, turned us on to CeDell. We couldn’t believe our ears! Then we met him! Then we even got to play with him! Aside from the total musical wonder we experienced, the thing that honestly struck me the hardest was that CeDell was always lifting everyone else's spirits. His voice and guitar would also heal you for sure. He was a singular human being.”—Oteil Burbridge, two-time Grammy Award-winning bassist
“CeDell's life and music crackled and popped like an old 78 RPM record. As this book beautifully illustrates, his story was one of both loss and joy. Which is, of course, the story of the blues.”—Roger Stolle, Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art store, Clarksdale, MS
