Adam Gussow

Adam Gussow
Background information
Born (1958-04-03) April 3, 1958
New York City, U.S.
GenresBlues
Occupations
  • Musician
  • author
InstrumentHarmonica
Years active1986–present
Formerly ofSatan and Adam
Websitewww.modernbluesharmonica.com

Adam Gussow (born April 3, 1958)[1] is an American blues harmonica player and author, best known as a member of Satan and Adam.

Early life

Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in nearby Congers, the son of a Jewish father and Protestant mother.[2][3] He earned an undergraduate degree in 1979 and a doctorate in 2000, both from Princeton University.[4]

Career

Music

Between 1986 and 1998, Gussow played harmonica in the blues duo Satan and Adam, alongside guitarist and vocalist Sterling Magee. Beginning as street performers in Harlem,[5] they released five albums from 1991 to 2011, including Harlem Blues (1991), which was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award.[6] A clip of the duo performing on 125th Street appeared in the U2 documentary Rattle and Hum.[7]

Since 2010, Gussow has performed as a one-man band, using foot-operated percussion while playing harmonica. He released the solo album Kick and Stomp in 2010.[8] He also performs with Sir Rod & the Blues Doctors, a trio that includes Sterling Magee's nephew, Roderick "Sir Rod" Patterson.[9]

Academia

Gussow is a professor of English and southern studies at the University of Mississippi.[10] His scholarship focuses on the blues as a response to social violence and the cultural mythology of the music. His book Seems Like Murder Here: Southern Violence and the Blues Tradition (2002) was awarded the Holman Award from the Society for the Study of Southern Literature.[11]

In 2017, he published Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition, an investigation into the "blues devil" motif, which won the Living Blues Critics' Poll for Best Blues Book.[12]

Bibliography

  • Seems Like Murder Here: Southern Violence and the Blues Tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.[13]
  • Mister Satan's Apprentice. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2009.[14]
  • Journeyman's Road: Modern Blues Lives from Faulkner's Mississippi to Post-9/11 New York. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2007.[15]
  • Busker's Holiday.[16] Modern Blues Harmonica: 2015[17]
  • Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2017.[18]
  • Whose Blues? Facing Up to Race and the Future of the Music. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020.[19]

References

  1. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 315. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
  2. ↑ Peacock, Scot, ed. (2000). Contemporary Authors. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Group. p. 153. ISBN 0-7876-3241-4. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  3. ↑ Tenorio, Rich (November 17, 2018). "The devil went down to Harlem — to team up with a Jewish harmonica player". Times of Israel. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Giving the devil his due". paw.princeton.edu. Princeton Alumni Weekly. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ Whiteis, David (July 26, 2022). "Featured Interview – Adam Gussow". bluesblastmagazine.com. Blues Blast Magazine. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Adam Gussow Profile". ttbook.org. To The Best Of Our Knowledge. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  7. ↑ Buckley, Brant (August 9, 2019). "Adam Gussow: Apprentice of Satan". americanbluesscene.com. American Blues Scene. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ Richmond, Bucky (January 14, 2011). "Adam Gussow – Kick And Stomp: Album Review". Blues Blast Magazine. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Sir Rod & The Blues Doctors". Sir Rod & The Blues Doctors. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Adam Gussow". Department of English. University of Mississippi. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Seems Like Murder Here". University of Chicago Press. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ "2018 Living Blues Awards". Living Blues. August 1, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  13. ↑ Seems Like Murder Here: Southern Violence and the Blues Tradition, Gussow. University of Chicago Press. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Mister Satan's Apprentice — University of Minnesota Press". Upress.umn.edu. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  15. ↑ "List | University of Tennessee Press". Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ↑ Adam Gussow (October 15, 2015). Busker's Holiday. BookBaby. ISBN 9780996712408.
  17. ↑ Adam Gussow. "Busker's Holiday". Modernbluesharmonica.com. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  18. ↑ Adam Gussow (2017). Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-14696-33664.
  19. ↑ Adam Gussow (2020). Whose Blues? Facing Up to Race and the Future of the Music. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1469660363.
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