Tishomingo Blues (novel)

Last updated

First edition (publ. William Morrow) TishomingoBlues.jpg
First edition (publ. William Morrow)

Tishomingo Blues is a 2002 novel by Elmore Leonard, set in Mississippi, about two fledgling allies, the local Dixie Mafia, and a high-stakes Civil War re-enactment.

Leonard says that Tishomingo Blues is, of the books he has written, his favorite. [1]

FilmFour planned to make a movie adaptation of the novel, with actor Don Cheadle directing (and possibly starring), [2] but in 2007 Cheadle described the project as "dead". [3]

The title comes from the famous Spencer Williams song "Tishomingo Blues" (1917).[ citation needed ].

Whatever about its title the novel’s epigraph is taken from the second verse of the song "Tishamingo Blues" (1926) by American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist, Joshua Barnes Howell, better known as Peg Leg Howell.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tishomingo, Mississippi</span> Town in Mississippi

Tishomingo is a town in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, United States. The population of the city of Tishomingo was 339 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunica, Mississippi</span> Town in Mississippi, United States

Tunica is a town in and the county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the United States. Despite this economic improvement, Tunica's population continues to decline from its peak in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmore James</span> American blues musician (1918–1963)

Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. His slide guitar technique earned him the nickname "King of the Slide Guitar".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Williams</span> American musician, composer, and singer (1889–1965)

Spencer Williams was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs "Basin Street Blues", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "Royal Garden Blues", "I've Found a New Baby", "Everybody Loves My Baby", "Tishomingo Blues", and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmore Leonard</span> American novelist and screenwriter (1925–2013)

Elmore John Leonard Jr. was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures. Among his best-known works are Hombre, Swag, City Primeval, LaBrava, Glitz, Freaky Deaky, Get Shorty, Rum Punch, Out of Sight and Tishomingo Blues.

<i>Out of Sight</i> 1998 US crime comedy film by Steven Soderbergh

Out of Sight is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor George Clooney, it was released on June 26, 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Cheadle</span> American actor (born 1964)

Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. is an American actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards and 11 Primetime Emmy Awards. His Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony nominations make him one of few black individuals to be nominated for the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT).

Tishomingo was chief of the Chickasaw nation.

Wu Ming, Chinese for "anonymous", is a pseudonym for a group of Italian authors formed in 2000 from a subset of the Luther Blissett community in Bologna. Four of the group earlier wrote the novel Q. Unlike the open name "Luther Blissett", "Wu Ming" stands for a defined group of writers active in literature and popular culture. The band authored several novels, some of which have been translated in many countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Road Blues</span> 1936 blues song by Robert Johnson

"Cross Road Blues" is a song written by the American blues artist Robert Johnson. He performed it as a solo piece with his vocal and acoustic slide guitar in the Delta blues-style. The song has become part of the Robert Johnson mythology as referring to the place where he supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his musical talent. This is based largely on folklore of the American South that identifies a crossroads as the site where such pacts are made, although the lyrics do not contain any references to Satan or a Faustian bargain.

A traitor is a person who commits treason.

Frank Muller was a stage and television actor, but was most famous as an audiobook narrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dust My Broom</span> Blues standard

"Dust My Broom" is a blues song originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" by American blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936. It is a solo performance in the Delta blues-style with Johnson's vocal accompanied by his acoustic guitar. As with many of his songs, it is based on earlier blues songs, the earliest of which has been identified as "I Believe I'll Make a Change", recorded by the Sparks brothers as "Pinetop and Lindberg" in 1932. Johnson's guitar work features an early use of a boogie rhythm pattern, which is seen as a major innovation, as well as a repeating triplets figure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoochie Coochie Man</span> Blues standard written by Willie Dixon

"Hoochie Coochie Man" is a blues standard written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1954. The song makes reference to hoodoo folk magic elements and makes novel use of a stop-time musical arrangement. It became one of Waters' most popular and identifiable songs and helped secure Dixon's role as Chess Records' chief songwriter.

"One Way Out" is a blues song that was recorded in the early 1960s by both Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James. A reworking of the song by G. L. Crockett, titled "It's a Man Down Here", appeared on the Billboard record charts in 1965. In 1971, the Allman Brothers Band recorded an updated live version of the song, which was included on their popular Eat a Peach album (1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sky Is Crying (song)</span> Blues standard written by Elmore James

"The Sky Is Crying" is a blues standard written and initially recorded by Elmore James in 1959. Called "one of his most durable compositions", "The Sky Is Crying" became a R&B record chart hit and has been interpreted and recorded by numerous artists.

"Madison Blues" is a blues song by American blues musician Elmore James. It is an upbeat Chicago-style shuffle featuring James' amplified slide guitar and vocal. He recorded it in 1960 for Chess Records, during a session that also produced "Talk to Me Baby" and "The Sun Is Shining", a follow-up to his popular single "The Sky Is Crying".

Raylan Givens is a fictional character created by American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shake Your Moneymaker (song)</span> Song first recorded by Elmore James in 1961

"Shake Your Moneymaker" or "Shake Your Money Maker" is a song recorded by Elmore James in 1961 that has become one of his best-known pieces. Inspired by earlier songs, it has been interpreted and recorded by several blues and other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Hold Out</span> 1960 song by Elmore James

"I Can't Hold Out", also known as "Talk to Me Baby", is a blues song written by Willie Dixon and recorded by Elmore James in 1960 for the Chess label. Called a classic and a "popular James standard", it has been interpreted and recorded by several artists.

References

  1. "FAQ : what is your favorite book?". Elmore Leonard's website.
  2. Michael Fleming (February 18, 2002). "Cheadle chooses 'Blues'". Variety.
  3. Edward Douglas (July 6, 2007). "Don Cheadle Talks to Us". Comingsoon.