Leah Lewis

Anthropology 337
March 24, 2021
Annotated Bibliography

https://memphismusichalloffame.com/inductee/memphisminnie/

Memphis Music Hall of Fame is a source that covers the life of Memphis Minnie. She is

a country music blues icon that I will discuss to support my argument. The website gives a short

background about Minnie life and it discussed the impact that she had on women during her long

musical career. She was able to transcend both gender and genre. I am not sure if I will need an

additional source regarding her life because I did not want to use a lot of space discussing her

and Lucille Bogans background. This source cover exactly what I need regarding her life.

Hamilton, Marybeth. “Sexuality, Authenticity and the Making of the Blues Tradition.” Past &
Present, no. 169, 2000, pp. 132–160. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/651266. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.

The source is a JSTOR journal; it is an excellent source because it covers sexuality and blues.

My paper is centered around sexuality of lyrics. This journal supports my argument that sexualized

lyrics of blues helped open the door for artist today. I am interested in this source mostly because it

discusses the historical aspects of blues and how the oral traditions of blues transitioned. I think it is

important to share a little information about the history of sexuality in blues to support how blues

impacts artists like Cardi B and Meg the Stallion.

https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4319&context=etd-project

In this scholarly works, it discusses the representations of African American women in

blues lyrics. It covers stereotypes of Black American women, such as the Sapphire and Mammie

figure. The text gives an extensive background on the history of Black American women and

how blues help women, of all races, transcend those stereotypes. I plan to use it because it

supports black feminism and explains the double-sided expectations black women faced. The

works gives an excellent analysis of the lyrics of blues artist and answers the question of why the

lyrics do not match the stereotypes. Also, it explains why the lyrics are rhetorically represented

in blues.

Ducille, Ann. “Blues Notes on Black Sexuality: Sex and the Texts of Jessie Fauset and Nella
Larsen.” Journal of the History of Sexuality, vol. 3, no. 3, 1993, pp. 418–444. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/3704015. Accessed 1 Apr. 2021.

The source analyses 1920s and 1930s female blues icons and their explicit lyrics. The text discussed

the genre of sex and sexuality of lyrics. It argues how society had a limited viewpoint regarding

women and the harsh realities that they faced. I think it is a great addition to the sources that I have

because it explains how blues lyrics exposed the fact that women have desires beyond the aspect of

motherhood. It extensively shares lyrics and how some artist wrote lyrics that one had to read between

the lines on and other artist that explicitly shared what they were talking about.

https://thegumbo.net/blog/2020/9/7/lucille-bogans-dirty-revolution
The source is what I will use to give a short autobiography of Lucille Bogan. I do not plan to use

a lot of space regarding the background of the two artists that I plan to discuss in my essay. This

source is a support to her autobiography, and it covers her impact in music and her explicit

lyrics.