Listen to the Lambs

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Listen to the Lambs

Johnny Otis
Foreword by George Lipsitz

Table of Contents

$18.95 paper
ISBN: 978-0-8166-6531-0

A rediscovered landmark in African American political and popular history

In the summer of 1965, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts exploded in a race riot that spanned six days, claimed thirty-four lives, and brought America’s struggle with racial oppression into harrowing relief.

For Johnny Otis, “Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,” the events of that summer would inspire one of the most compelling books to ever explore that fateful August in Watts. Originally published in 1968, Listen to the Lambs grew from a letter Otis wrote to an expatriate friend during the days following the riots. Otis moves back and forth between Watts and his own childhood to reveal an alternate history of the riots.

Equal parts memoir, social history, and racial manifesto, Listen to the Lambs is a moving witness of collective turmoil and a people for whom the long-promised American Dream was nowhere to be found.

Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Johnny Otis is a celebrated American blues and R & B musician. He is a painter, sculptor, author, and, until recently, hosted the Johnny Otis Show.

George Lipsitz is professor of black studies and sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Among his many books are Dangerous Crossroads and Footsteps in the Dark (Minnesota, 2007).

264 pages | 5 3/8 x 8 | 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword: Listening to the Lambs
George Lipsitz
An Introduction by Preston Love
Preface

1. First Letter to Griff
2. For Colored Only
3. Pogies and Miss Werensky
4. The Watts Riots
5. Getting a Gig
6. Where the Spirit Refuses to Yield
7. Hunting, Fishing, and Cards
8. The Club Alabam
9. Pigeons
10. The Negro Wars
11. Mister Charlie
12. A Week at Mama Lou’s
13. “White” Negroes
14. Baby Jitters
15. The Barrelhouse
16. Privately Owned Animals
17. Dude, the Dentist, and Prince Kahoolee
18. Second Letter to Griff
19. Black Cannon Fodder
20. The New Bag
21. Your Mama!
22. Poverty and Politics
23. Go North, Young Man
24. The Great White Father
25. The Big Black Crack in the American Dream

Summary

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Listen to the Lambs Johnny Otis Foreword by George Lipsitz Table of Contents		$18.95 paper ISBN: 978-0-8166-6531-0
A rediscovered landmark in African American political and popular history In the summer of 1965, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts exploded in a race riot that spanned six days, claimed thirty-four lives, and brought America’s struggle with racial oppression into harrowing relief. For Johnny Otis, “Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,” the events of that summer would inspire one of the most compelling books to ever explore that fateful August in Watts. Originally published in 1968, Listen to the Lambs grew from a letter Otis wrote to an expatriate friend during the days following the riots. Otis moves back and forth between Watts and his own childhood to reveal an alternate history of the riots. Equal parts memoir, social history, and racial manifesto, Listen to the Lambs is a moving witness of collective turmoil and a people for whom the long-promised American Dream was nowhere to be found. Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Johnny Otis is a celebrated American blues and R & B musician. He is a painter, sculptor, author, and, until recently, hosted the Johnny Otis Show. George Lipsitz is professor of black studies and sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Among his many books are Dangerous Crossroads and Footsteps in the Dark (Minnesota, 2007). 264 pages \| 5 3/8 x 8 \| 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword: Listening to the Lambs George Lipsitz An Introduction by Preston Love Preface 1. First Letter to Griff 2. For Colored Only 3. Pogies and Miss Werensky 4. The Watts Riots 5. Getting a Gig 6. Where the Spirit Refuses to Yield 7. Hunting, Fishing, and Cards 8. The Club Alabam 9. Pigeons 10. The Negro Wars 11. Mister Charlie 12. A Week at Mama Lou’s 13. “White” Negroes 14. Baby Jitters 15. The Barrelhouse 16. Privately Owned Animals 17. Dude, the Dentist, and Prince Kahoolee 18. Second Letter to Griff 19. Black Cannon Fodder 20. The New Bag 21. Your Mama! 22. Poverty and Politics 23. Go North, Young Man 24. The Great White Father 25. The Big Black Crack in the American Dream Summary