Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

D.K. Wilgus and Eleanor R. Long. "The Blues Ballad and the Genesis of Style in Traditional Ballad Song." In Narrative Folksong: New Directions (Essays in Appreciation of W. Edson Richmond). Ed. Carol L. Edwards and Kathleen E.B. Manley. Boulder: Westview Press, pp. 437-82.

Describes the American "Blues Ballad" and provides examples from black and white American traditions, some with musical text. Discusses origins of the "Blues Ballad idea" in the two traditions and the traditions' interactions in the history of the American blues ballad.
Area: FB, AA, US