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    The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius
    Unavailable
    The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius
    Unavailable
    The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius
    Ebook442 pages8 hours

    The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius

    By Deirdre O'Connell

    5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    This biography of a musical genius who went from slavery to international stardom is a “vivid, carefully researched narrative reflects the tenor of the” (Publishers Weekly).
     
    Born into slavery in Georgia, Tom Wiggins died an international celebrity in New York in 1908. His life was one of the most bizarre and moving episodes in American history. Born blind and autistic—and therefore unable to work with other slaves—Tom was left to his own devices. He was mesmerized by the music of the family’s young daughters, and by the time he was four, Tom was playing tunes on the piano.
     
    Eventually freed from slavery, “Blind Tom” toured the country and the world, dazzling audiences that included celebrities like Mark Twain and the Queen of England. Considered both a genius and a novelty act, Blind Tom embodied contradictions—a star and a freak, freed from slavery yet still under the control of his white guardian. His life offers a window into the culture of celebrity and racism at the turn of the twentieth century.
     
    In this rollicking and heartrending book, O’Connell takes us through the life (and three separate deaths) of Blind Tom Wiggins, restoring to the modern reader this unusual yet quintessentially American life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateFeb 5, 2009
    ISBN9781468305951
    Unavailable
    The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius

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    Reviews for The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist

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    • 5/5
      An amazing insight into the tragic but beautiful life of a musical autistic savant who rose to fame in the nineteenth century. Engrossing from start to finish.