The first readings of Deep Blues

Ok... so it's taken me awhile to get something up about this... I finally got around to reading the prologue and the first chapter just now though.
So I'll just start from the beginning. I really enjoyed reading this book. The subject really interested me when they were talking of the musicians and their lives. I got a little bored when I got into the first chapter and it went into the African era of the music. That also just could have been my reading it for so long...
Overall I liked how the Blues genre of music came to be in existance. The fact that it comes from a mix of so many types of music and from different parts of the world fascinates me. It tugs at my heart strings to think of all those slaves singing without instruments, and about such small everyday things. It really gives you a feel for how life was for them. It truly shows us how music is a powerful force in our everyday lives. The point that came from the part in African music were they said that it usually wasn't one person singing but a community made me think of times in our lives where we "sing" as a community. Some examples would be at church, concerts(usually people sing along with the artist), and at sporting events. All soccer players know the Ole song, I've never been to a professional game where it hasn't been played, or at any event where you stomp your feet on the bleachers(that creates a rythm, in turn music). On page 38 it says, "...tap their heels on the resonant board floor to imitate the beat of the drum..." I love that "simple" music. Like just using the things around you to make sounds and then to create those sounds into meaningful rythms!
In class we discussed the white folks taking away the slaves music. To me that seemed just a way to control them. White people back then, especially white males, felt it was their right to own others, to control the world they lived in. And really it wasn't their job at all. But that constant need for control and the power of music made them fear and destroy black music. But music is such a strong soul within itself that once it's there it won't leave, and obviously it didn't because we're still talking about their music today.