Baddest of the Bad

Jackson, Buzzy
A Bad Woman Feeling Good: Blues and the Women Who Sing Them
New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company Inc, 2005.

It was Ma Rainey’s piano player, Thomas Dorsey, who said, “The blues is a good woman feeling bad” (xiii). Author Buzzy Jackson, however, explores the blues through an entirely different lens, one which sheds light on the women who refused to “behave” in society during a time when women had little opportunity to contribute or exist outside of the home. Jackson’s work celebrates the genre by portraying these artists as forces for positive social change and expression of human emotion.

Beginning with legendary blues pioneers Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith in the early 20th century, Jackson praises their unconventionality, bisexuality, racial pride, and role in opening the doors for African Americans to record in studios. Other notable “bad girls” include the moody and rebellious Billie Holiday and Etta James, minority and women’s rights activist Aretha Franklin (the lone “good girl” of the bunch), and Janis Joplin and Tina Turner, whose “gutsy, scorching voice” (xii) helped to carry the blues into the world of rock ‘n’ roll. In addition, Jackson includes other rebellious female artists who are clearly influenced by the blues, such as Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams, Whitney Houston, Patti Smith, Lauren Hill, and Courtney Love.

The author traces the lives and influences of these singers, both black and white, and applauds the power of their music, some of which she believes to have been overlooked. In observing their creative innovations, artistic successes, societal struggles, and non-traditional lifestyles, Jackson proves that these cultural rebels have been inspiring American women to express their individuality for decades. “In a century when the realities of women’s lives experienced radical change, the lives and work of each one of these singers responded to and reflected the historical context of her own time” (xiii).

Jackson’s writing is compelling, descriptive, and enthusiastic, providing a glimpse into American popular culture from a feminist point of view. The author succeeds in capturing the depth behind the lives and personal struggles of the subjects, each of whom established their own unique style of living and performing that left a legacy for every women to inherit. Whether you are new to the genre, want to know more, or have a student with an interest in jazz/blues/improvisation (especially a female student!), this book will prove to be a fun and colorful read that offers a new prospective on women who have defied traditional roles and tested the boundaries of permissible behavior. The book contains 70 illustrations, a table of contents, and an index.

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