“An engaging tale about two music lovers trying to set the historical record straight.” –Kirkus ReviewsA young man on a mission. An aging musician with a dream. Society perched over a racial divide.It’s the 1960s, and nothing reflects the cultural revolution more than music. When Kennedy Barnes, a runaway teen, stumbles upon a rock and roll song recorded by a blues musician in the 1930s, he heads … by a blues musician in the 1930s, he heads west in search of the man behind the music.
Willie Johnson, ex-bluesman, is a motel laundry worker with a bad hip and a dark past. When Kennedy arrives with the promise of riches, Willie wonders if he’s finally getting his shot at the big time. But is fame worth the cost of dredging up past sorrows?
Sins in Blue is a novel about lost dreams, crippling grief, and the healing power of an unlikely friendship.
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Love it!
I choose to read Sins In Blue because I love the blues. It was clear from the first paragraph I was in the hands of a compelling, capable writer. I enjoyed the music history, setting, relationship of the main characters to each other, the depth of their struggles, and the twist on cultural appropriation. This book was a smooth, enjoyable read.
Author Brian Kaufman wrote that his primary motivation was to craft a love letter to his favorite music. He succeeded.
This tightly written and enjoyable tale of a wannabe music industry promoter who tries to resuscitate the career of an aging and forgotten bluesman is as much a fable as it is an entertaining story of failure and redemption. The author packs a lot of punch into a compact book with crisp dialogue and period atmosphere, especially in the gritty Deep South juke joint scenes and when he describes Willie Johnson’s affinity for his beloved blues music. He also cleverly contrasts the naive optimism of Kennedy Barnes, the book’s novice impresario, with Willie’s hard-boiled and combative outlook on life. The book is at times funny, crass, harsh and heroic as it gives glimpses into the world of classic blues music and offers a few lessons on how we might all confront and rejuvenate our unanswered dreams and aspirations.
Brian Kaufman’s Sins in Blue is about a young man who wants to make his name as a music manager by representing a blues guitarist he thinks is better than anyone in the world. Trouble is, the musician is old and white and has failed to make it in a world dominated by African-Americans. It’s a nice twist on the cultural appropriation theme set long before anyone coined the term. This very well-written novel will touch your heart as it follows young Kennedy Barnes on his mission to revive the music of Willie Johnson, a down-on-his-luck motel worker with a rough past.
Note: I read an early version of the novel-in-progress, read and reviewed the advance copy on Net Galley, and then purchased a hardcover edition for my own library.
While songwriters make music out of story, Brian Kaufman’s latest novel, Sins in Blue, makes a story out of music.
Young promoter, Kennedy Barnes, has cassettes of little known blues artist Willie Johnson’s songs to prove that Willie invented rock n’ rock long before everyone thinks it started. Now, to secure better futures for both of them, Kennedy has to convince Willie, and a record label, to include Willie on the line up at a blues festival. Not only do Kennedy and Willie have work to do on this musical adventure, they have demons from their pasts to face.
Pairing extremes, like Kennedy and Willie, makes for a tension-filled plot. Kennedy, an 18 yr old from Pittsburgh, leaves home against his family’s wishes in order to find his musical hero, Willie. Willie is retirement age but still works at a hotel despite aches and pains. His music career has not afforded him any savings. Their differences cause conflicts, from which much learning and solidarity also arise.
The story toggles between North and South, past and present. Willie grows up in Mississippi in the 1920s and 30s, ending up in Colorado, where he meets Kennedy in 1969. Situated at the epicenter of vast cultural shifts between then and now, here and there, the story has an epic quality.
Fact and fiction blend amicably – and surprisingly. Juke joints, restaurants and bars named are based on real places. Willie’s struggles as a newcomer to the North in the 1930s rings true to historical accounts. But real-life blues legend, “Blind” Willie Johnson, is nothing like fictional Willie Johnson….
Lyrics from Willie’s song, Sins in Blue, permeate the text with a pathos that spills out beyond the short novel’s last page. The book’s edgy themes and rhythms still vibrate through today’s society. Its characters model an enduring and beautiful friendship for this era.
Overall Rating = 4.75
Storyline & Concept = 4.5
Writing & Delivery = 5
Editorial = 4.75
Sins in Blue is a story, based in the 1960s, of a young man with a dream and an aging blues musician with a poignant history. The boy’s search for fame and fortune builds an unlikely friendship while reviving lost hope and past sorrows.
This novel is a quick, engaging read that begins with the premise of two people from different generations who have a common interest. It draws upon that interest to expose the racial divides prevalent in the 1930s and 1960s. The author’s love and knowledge of music is evident, and he masterfully uses it to build interesting and compassionate characters who have strengths, weaknesses, achievements, and regrets. My only lament is that I didn’t have more time with these characters and their stories.
Sublime Line: “A compelling and well-written tale that uses engaging characters in an entertaining style to expose racial and cultural divides in the 1930s and 1960s.”