Patrick Joseph O’Connor’s Wichita Blues: Music in the African American Community reclaims an overlooked part in American musicology. While places like Chicago, Memphis, and the Mississippi Delta often dominate the story of Blues, O’Connor suggests that Wichita served as an important crossroads for the genre. By documenting the oral histories of nineteen musicians, he has merged a study of migration and identity into the story of the music itself.
The book is structured chronologically, beginning with the early African American migration to Kansas. O’Connor establishes that the Black settlers were in pursuit of freedom and economic opportunity. This historical context is essential, as it frames the blues not merely as entertainment but as a cultural tool for preserving that hard-won liberty. The early chapters provide a necessary foundation, detailing how urban centres like Topeka and Wichita became magnets for those seeking employment in the growing industries, specifically the aircraft plants that defined the mid-century economy.
O’Connor makes his argument around the “Territory bands” and the geographical advantages of Wichita. Its position on mainline railroads and major highways made it a frequent stop for legendary figures. The 1940 KFBI radio recording of Jay McShann and His Orchestra, featuring a young Charlie Parker making his recording debut on the song Wichita Blues, is a touchstone for much of the early part of the book. Every player seems to be asked for their recollections of Parker, and that highlights the connection between Jazz and Blues, which is often missed in the more cosmopolitan parts of New York and Los Angeles. Players had feet in both camps, and this is a goldmine of new information for early Be-Bop fans as well as those whose tastes run more to the Blues.
The heart of the book lies in the personal narratives. O’Connor captures the voices of folk artists and professional performers like Gene Metcalf, Jerry Childers, and Harmonica Chuck. These interviews explore the “Oklahoma influence,” noting how musicians from Tulsa and Muskogee brought their stylistic imaginings north. The tension between “country blues” and the more polished “city variety” is covered well. O’Connor observes how younger musicians often distanced themselves from the “old style” played by their parents, even as they built on their influence.
The final chapter’s analysis and “discussion of results” provides a scholarly emphasis that makes this more than just a collection of anecdotes. O’Connor investigates whether Wichita had a distinct style or if it was just a cultural borrower. The conclusion is that Wichita’s significance lies in the way its musicians interpreted national hits and regional influences through a local lens, creating a unique “blues culture” supported by tight-knit family structures and shared community spaces.
Wichita Blues is an overdue tribute to the artists and others who maintained an oral tradition against the backdrop of segregation. O’Connor demonstrates that the blues acted as a “natural vent” for the homesickness and aspirations of a migrating people. For any reader interested in how music moves across borders and takes root in new places, this book is as indispensable as Robert Palmer’s Deep Blues, or the writing of Gayle Dean Wardlow, which we will look at in a future piece.
Rough and ready, but one of the jumping off points for modern jazz – recorded at KFBI’s studios in Wichita, December 1940.
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