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DICK WATERMAN : A LIFE IN BLUES

Tammy L. Turner
University Press Of Mississippi / ISBN 978-1-4968-2269-7

Last month I suggested some goodies
worth watching on Youtube if you

were trying to occupy some spare
time. Well, it was through one such

programme that I found out about
this book. Published in 2019, it’s the

story of Dick Waterman and his
involvement in the rediscovery and

touring of old blues artists during
the early 1960’s, many who’d been

forgotten or assumed dead: Son
House, Skip James, Mississippi

John Hurt and Robert Pete Wil-

liams were the first.

Waterman acted as their friend,
manager, booking agent and in

some cases, their carer, serious-
ly! Through the years he also

represented Bonnie Raitt, Junior
Wells, Buddy Guy, Mississippi

Fred McDowell and more.

This is a ‘warts and all’ history

of those days, and very inter-
esting it is too…. the sections on Big Mama Thorn-

ton and Jessie Mae Hemphill give an indication of some of the things he had to endure.
In fact the content in this book is, for much of the time, quite an eye opener.

For anyone interested in the older generation of blues artists, (before blues became

rock), and how they, and some of the Chicago acts like Junior Wells and Buddy Guy
were able to tour and appear at big festivals, this is the book for you.

Check it out whilst you can.

Bob Pearce