Groove Interrupted Loss, Renewal, and the

What happens when New Orleans, a city whose cultural identity is linked to its musical heritage, loses many of the artists that make the city vital? Keith Spera answers this question by recounting the Katrina stories of eighteen of New Orleans's greatest musicians. Well-known musicians like B.B. King, Aaron Neville, Terence Blanchard and Kermit Ruffins share their stories alongside those of newer artists like Juvenile, Lil Wayne, and Master P. Spera accompanies reclusive Fats Domino as he rambles around Manhattan to promote a post-Katrina tribute CD. He talks with Alex Chilton who spent his final years living anonymously in a battered New Orleans cottage and listens as rapper Mystikal describes his recent release from the Louisiana prison where he sat out Katrina. As Spera weaves the individual stories together one common theme is clear: the unbreakable Crescent City spirit and desire for renewal will always be found through the music and artists that fill the streets.

KEITH SPERA writes about music for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. In 2006, he was a member of the newspaper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Hurricane Katrina coverage team. He has also contributed to Rolling Stone, Vibe, Blender, LA Weekly, Garden & Gun and numerous documentaries. He lives in his native New Orleans with his wife and two young children.

"In Groove Interrupted, Keith Spera captures both the elation and the heartbreak of post-Katrina New Orleans through the stories of some of the city's best musicians. Spera knows New Orleans and its music inside-out, and he lived through the disaster and saw it all for himself. Anybody who loves the Crescent City and its music will experience shocks of recognition, humor, sadness, and intense beauty throughout. This is a terrific book."-- Tom Piazza, "author of City Of Refuge and Why New Orleans Matters"
“With Hurricane Katrina and the Federal Flood that followed, New Orleans suffered a near-death experience. Eighty percent of the city flooded. Musicians suffered along with everyone else, and in the weeks and months after the storm it was unclear if they, and the music would ever return to the Crescent City. Keith Spera's invaluable book brilliantly chronicles the experiences of some of New Orleans', and America's, most important musicians -- Fats Domino, Aaron Neville, Allen Toussaint, among others -- before, during and after America's worst man-made disaster.”-- Eric Overmyer, Executive Producer Treme (HBO)

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Groove Interrupted Loss, Renewal, and the Music of New Orleans

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials