cover image Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue

Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue

Johnny Otis. Wesleyan University Press, $30 (212pp) ISBN 978-0-8195-5263-1

Musician, painter, sculptor and preacher Otis (author of Listen to the Lambs and creator/performer of ``Willie and the Hand Jive'') is an angry and eloquent man who writes from the unique viewpoint of a white man who has been immersed in African American culture and music since childhood. His assertion that racism in American society may be worse than ever glistens with conviction and rage. Otis uses as his backdrop the development of jazz, blues and rock--particularly on the West Coast--in the 20th century, giving a fresh perspective on the contributions of black musicians and composers, while lamenting the appropriation of what were essentially black art forms by white society. Otis's recounting of his daily association with musicians both famous and unknown provides disturbing insights into the struggles of black performers in the U.S., and, by extension, African American society as a whole. The clarity and pace of Otis's style are deceptive; this is a wake-up call for white America. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)