Professor receives award for book on blues research

Not many people get to do what they love for a living. Roberta Freund Schwartz does. She turned her passion for blues music into a career.

Schwartz, associate professor of musicology, recently received the 2008 Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research for her book about the transmission of American blues to the United Kingdom in the 1960s. The Association for Recorded Sound Collections awarded her publication with first place in the category of research of recorded blues, rhythm and blues, and soul music.

Paul Laird, professor and division director of musicology, said honors such as this were not awarded frequently.

photo

Dr. Roberta Freund-Schwartz, Music Professor at KU, has received the Association of Recorded Sounds Collections Awards for Excellence. Her book titled, "How Britain Got The Blues: Transmission and Reception of American Blues Style to the British Isles," won the yearly award given to books dealing wth recorded sounds in the category of Blues/Soul R&B. Freund-Shwartz is also teaching classes in Jazz and African American music as well as the very popular, "History of Rock and Roll."

“People decided it’s something worth considering,” Laird said. “It’s wonderful.”

She published her award-winning book, “How Britain Got the Blues: Transmission and Reception of the Blues Style in the United Kingdom,” in 2007.

“I’m especially passionate about African-American music and how strongly that has impacted all the music of the world,” she said. “I like its focus on rhythm.”

Schwartz said her interest in the blues began in her teens, tracing back to her favorite band, Led Zeppelin. She listened to American blues artists whom Led Zeppelin referenced, such as Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Johnson.

“Learning about the music that inspired my favorite group, that got me interested first in the urban blues,” Schwartz said. “The blues of the 1950s and 1960s, then, led me back further into the very early history of the blues.”

Chicago and Delta blues style influenced many British invasion rock bands, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Her book focused on how those blues records became popular in the United Kingdom and were accepted by young Britons during the 1960s, when the popularity of the genre had declined in the U.S.

Some of her main sources of information were jazz publications printed in the United Kingdom between 1929 and 1970. She said she also interviewed people who were around the music scene in the U.K. in the 1960s. She traveled the U.K. twice to collect information. She said it took her six years to finish the book.

“A lot of this was extremely unsexy,” Schwartz said.

She said her research revealed that the blues had a niche appeal to some in Britain.

“To the British, the blues were emotional in ways to which they were unaccustomed,” she said. “Blues became the music of the non-conformist — people who didn’t fit in, didn’t want to be a typical consumer. Those who felt out of place in rigid British society, felt a certain kinship with the blues.”

Aside from researching, she said that she also enjoyed teaching at the University, where this semester she’s teaching a course about the history of rock and roll.

“I love music and love to share knowledge of music if I can get people to understand it at more depth,” she said.

David Chase, Olathe graduate student, took a music course with Schwartz last year. He said she was passionate about music and could make any kind of music accessible to him.

“She’s a lexicon of accurate information, but not boring,” he said. “If you want to talk about the blues, jazz or music of our generation, she’s the one you talk to.”

Schwartz said her next book would be about the hokum blues, a type of blues that was popular from 1929 to 1937 and recorded primarily in Chicago.

— — Edited by Brieun Scott

 

Related articles

Students enroll in unusual classes

The University offers some fun and unique courses to take.

/news/2009/jul/28/classes/

Accessing jazz

Make jazz more accessible by checking out local acts.

/news/2010/apr/29/accessing-jazz/

Libraries, students take advantage of book collecting ...

The Snyder Book Collecting Contest has been a KU tradition for 54 ...

/news/2010/mar/10/libraries-students/

Shakespearean theater to open spring 2009

New theater will give students the opportunity to get involved on stage ...

/news/2008/nov/21/shakespearean_theater/

‘Confrontational Evangelist’

Brother Jed, a self-proclaimed preacher, travels around to college campuses in order ...

/news/2007/nov/29/brother_jed/

Morning Brew: Singin’ Red Sox nation blues

Boston fans used to painful sports losses.

/news/2009/oct/14/morning-brew-singin-red-sox-nation-blues/

The life behind the scenes

Backstage workers spend countless hours preparing the costumes, set and lighting at ...

/news/2009/mar/05/life_behind/

Jazz quintet defies musical mediocrity

Multimedia program at the Lied Center showcases 100 years of an American ...

/news/2009/jan/16/jazz_quintet/

Tunes to make them swoon

How to make the perfect music mix for that special someone

/news/2009/feb/12/tunes_make_them_swoon/

Few professors aware of textbook royalty policy

An obscure University policy reaffirms professors’ practice of donating royalties from textbooks ...

/news/2009/oct/07/professors-donate-textbook-royalties/

Alumna expresses life through music

Lisa Donnelly’s hit song “Laugh” makes it to the television in Brazil.

/news/2010/apr/05/alumna-expresses-life-through-music/

KU researcher wins award

KU researcher wins award for book from the Art Libraries Society of ...

/news/2007/jun/20/ku_researcher_wins_award/

Retired University Professor will be remembered

Professor of Engineering passed away on Saturday, at the age of 82. ...

/news/2011/aug/30/retired-university-professor-will-be-remembered/

Let the Music Play

If you're looking to spin that record round on your new turntable, ...

/news/2011/mar/10/let-music-play/

Calligrapher in an electronic world

Cathy Ledeker says there’s no substitute for the human touch in today’s ...

/news/2007/may/10/calligrapher/

Ghana forts historical, controversial

/news/2005/feb/07/news_features_ghana/

Obituary: Gerner

/news/2006/jun/27/obituary_gerner/

Putting words into sustainable action

Associate Professor Simran Sethi is working on creating an eco-friendly home and ...

/news/2009/nov/06/Sethi_sustainable/

Student receives independent research award

Laura Stiles earned on of the 15 Undergraduate Research Awards for her ...

/news/2007/mar/28/reward/

Editorial: Exchange rate just one reason to ...

With the relative cost of studying abroad, decreasing, now is the time ...

/news/2009/feb/25/editorial_exchange/

Students are fifth generation in family to ...

Three students follow family traditions as far back as the beginning of ...

/news/2008/sep/10/5th_generation/

Physics professor’s life honored

Raymond Ammar was remembered by family and friends for his love of ...

/news/2009/jun/28/professors_life/

Star Trek writer's works move to Spencer ...

Papers from the collection of author Theodore Sturgeon are now at the ...

/news/2011/jul/08/science-fiction-writers-works-come-ku/

Representatives visit Life Span Institute

Kansas Representatives tour Life Span Institute to better understand the work researchers ...

/news/2008/jan/23/representatives_visit_life_span_institute/

Kemper awards presented to 20 professors

Instructors recognized for teaching and advising excellence with $5,000 W.T. Kemper Fellowships

/news/2008/sep/03/kemper/

Forget what you heard

The Kansan's four part series showcasing hip hop's impact on a mix ...

/news/2011/jun/30/forget-what-you-heard/

Research funding tops $200 million

External research funding increases by nearly $9 million in 2009 fiscal year.

/news/2010/feb/17/research-funding/

Donations increase despite economy

The Endowment Association supports students with scholarships, fellowships and awards.

/news/2010/oct/21/endowment-continues-donations/

Morning Brew: A fight for the ages

Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight to feature the two best boxers in the ...

/news/2009/dec/09/morning-brew-fight-ages/

Fundraiser will honor KU dance teacher and ...

The proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships to assist dance ...

/news/2010/sep/14/fundraiser-will-honor-ku-dance-teachers-life-and-g/

University student named as Rhodes scholar

Kelsey Murrell became the University's 26th Rhodes scholar after a year-long application ...

/news/2011/nov/27/rhodes-scholarship/

KU Science Fiction Center presents literary awards

Science Fiction writers are recognized in an annual ceremony and book signing.

/news/2009/jul/12/scifi/

Hunting for Hauntings

/news/2005/oct/06/hunting_hauntings/

Carillonneur now performs during the week

Elizabeth Berghout, an assistant professor of music, likes to incorporate seasonal music ...

/news/2010/oct/07/carillonneur-now-performs/

Facing the music

For 13 students sued by the music industry, the risks of illegal ...

/news/2008/apr/30/facing_music/

‘Legally Blonde’ performs at Lied Center

The Tony-nominated musical starts tonight at 7:30 p.m.

/news/2010/dec/06/legally-blonde/

Graduation traditions have long history

From the procession to walking through the Campanile, commencement dates back more ...

/news/2009/apr/21/graduation_traditions/

Scholarship named in honor of honors lecturer

The Mary A. Klayder Scholarship was donated by professor of English Bernard ...

/news/2007/nov/13/scholarship_named_honor_honors_lecturer/

Music that Moves You

Whether you’re singin’ along, groovin’ by yourself or just studying in the ...

/news/2007/mar/01/music_moves_you/

Film festival expands students’ horizons

This year, the Center of Latin American Studies is showing four documentaries ...

/news/2010/oct/19/film-festival-expands-students-horizons/

Comments

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment