Talking Up a Blues Bookhouse

The Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg, PA opened its 2014 Bookhouse Season on Friday February 21st with a lecture given by renowned songwriter and recording artist Lamar R. Thomas, Sr. titled, “The Blues, Black Music, Soul, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.” A modest gathering of music aficionados eagerly awaited for the sharings of the Grammy Award Winner and author of the book titled, “DA Delta Black Music and ME” which the talk was primarily based upon to begin. The familiar and welcoming appearance of the Library’s host, Linnae Cintron, signaled that their wait was over as she shared her introductory remarks relating to the event and the library itself.

The evening began as Mr. Thomas took his seat at a table prepared for him. After briefly verbalizing his hope the upcoming talk won’t be too boring, he asked if the audience would oblige him by moving closer to the front. The audience happily complied with the request as each were gladdened for the opportunity to capture the fullness of the talk through their proximity to the speaker. It was then Mr. Thomas began to talk about his book, the history related to the topic of the lecture, and his own personal story in the world of music.

Mr. Thomas revealed his latest book titled, “DA Delta Black Music, and ME” had its genesis when he heard a statement asserting that the songs created by The Beatles changed the world. While The Beatles did have an unmistakable influence in the music world since their creation in 1960, the roots of their innovations can be traced back to the musical genres of Jazz and Blues which were created by the African American population that primarily inhabited the Southern section of the United States during the early 20th century. In other words, the music that changed the world was already at work prior to The Beatle’s formation and this is what inspired Mr. Thomas to write his book.

The lecture began with a history of how music written by African Americans were marketed during the early and mid 20th century. Many who were unaware of the attitudes of the time found it interesting how the songs written by African Americans were immediately categorized as “Black” or “Race” music and could not be played on mainstream radio stations owned and operated by Caucasian broadcasters. It wasn’t until a particular song gained a certain degree of commercial popularity was it considered a “Crossover” song which would allow it to be played (although sometimes modified to suit Caucasian tastes) on the mainstream stations. As a result, the works of a vast number of African American songwriters never received the recognition they deserved for their influence on the music developed by later generations.

This influence was first seen in Great Britain in the 1960s when bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones (whose name was taken from a song by Blues great Muddy Waters) mimicked the stylings of Jazz and Blues created by African American songwriters decades earlier. It proved to be ironic that these and other bands reintroduced the blues to numerous US teenagers during what had become known as the British Invasion which dominated the musical scene from the early 1960s and (to a certain extent) the present day. However, during the past decade or so, the recordings of many of the original songs written by African American songwriters of the early jazz and Blues era had been discovered and restored with their esteemed place in music history recognized by all who love music.

A series of songs written and performed by a number of African American artists were played during the lecture giving the audience an audio glimpse into the origins of modern music while exploring the depth of the experience that manifested each song. The names of many of the songwriters were unknown by some who attended the leture but the emotions and concepts they conveyed through their pain, fortitude, and talent relayed the universal relevance easily recognized by every person in the room who lived a life. As noted by Mr. Thomas, the blues is about what is happening in the life of the songwriter and the state of the human condition in the here and now accompanied by a response to it. Mr. Thomas shared a reading of each song’s lyrics prior to the presentation of the piece which allowed the audience to further explore the poetic depth of the song and to discover the internal truth it had to teach each monochromic soul.

The lecture titled, “The Blues, Black Music, Soul, and Rock ‘n’ Roll” concluded with an opportunity for members of the audience to ask questions of Mr. Thomas about the points he made, his book titled, “#DA Delta Black Music, and ME,” and his musical career. Further insights were shared during this time until the final question was asked and answered inviting those who sought to converse with Mr. Thomas more the opportunity to do so. The evening proved to be an enjoyable and informative one as the music and the spoken words that accompanied the lecture broadened the perspective of all who came to partake of it. You’ll find more photographs taken during the lecture in The EMPL 2014 Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152258038885421.1073741878.636000420&type=1.

Lamar R. Thomas, Sr. is well known as a producer, songwriter, and performer who has been making music for more than 40 years. He has worked as a producer and artist for Columbia, MCA, United Artist, and Chrysalis Records. Some of the artists Mr. Thomas has worked with  include Johnny Bristol, Garland Green, Chuck Jackson, Nancy Wilson, and Maynard Ferguson. Mr. Thomas and his wife, Judy, (who he met at a house party in Hollis Queens on December 29th, 1966) were songwriters on the Grammy Nominated Album titled, “Gotta Get the Groove Back” by the late Johnnie Taylor. Mr. Thomas  has recently released a CD titled, “Dry Water Wet Tears” which is available at www.amazon.com/Dry-Water-Tears-Lamar-Thomas/dp/B006R6PURY.

In addition to contributions in the music world, Mr. Thomas  is the author of numerous books including “DA Delta Black Music and ME” which contains a DVD of a 1 hour original documentary titled, “Take Me Home 2 DA Delta.” Other books written by Mr. Thomas include “Bassline against the BULLY” which offers ways parents and students can effectively deter bullying and “Being Black Goes Like This” which explores the many different topics, issues, and situations confronting Americans who are black. You can learn more about Mr. Thomas and his books by exploring his Website at www.lamarthomasbooks.com.

The Eastern Monroe Public Library (aka The Hughes Library) Bookhouse Series takes place in the Edinger Community Room which is located on N. 9th Street (aka route 611) in Stroudsburg, PA. The Hughes Library is the main branch of the Monroe County, PA library system which includes their Pocono Township Branch in Tannersville, PA and their Smithfield’s Branch in Marshalls Creek, PA. The library offers access to numerous books, DVDs, Audio Recordings, and cultural programs free to the public. The library’s BookHouse series is part of its cultural programming designed to provide a venue for literary and musical events which are outside of the commercial and literary mainstream.

The next program in The Eastern Monroe Public Library 2014 Bookhouse Series will feature Najwa Parkins and the  After Hours Trio www.facebook.com/NajwaParkinsAndTheAfterHoursTrio. The jazz concert is scheduled to take place on Friday May 16th beginning at 7:30pm with the doors opening at 7pm. Admission to the event is free, but donations would be gratefully accepted. Refreshments will also be available for a small charge. Please Contact Linnae Cintron at 570-421-0800 x28 or explore The Eastern Monroe Public Library Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/EasternMonroePublicLibrary?ref=ts&fref=ts to learn more information about the library, their Bookhouse series, and all the institution has to offer the community.