Jelly Roll Morton, Charley Patton

Chapter 2 begins with a review of Crumb’s fascination with music, especially the blues, and his efforts over the years in building a huge record collection of his favorite music. Allusions to jazz and blues appear in many of his works and his admiration for particular musicians such as Jelly Roll Morton is exemplified by his illustrations to a biography of Morton which Crumb titled “Jelly Roll Morton’s Voodoo Curse.” In exploring Morton’s life, Crumb explores Morton’s encounter with hoodoo and interrogates the question whether such supernatural experiences are “real” or not. This is a question which Crumb will pursue in many of his drawings because it is related to his own search for his inner self. The chapter then turns to Charley Patton and Crumb’s illustrations entitled “Patton.” Religious themes occur in this narrative as well and this chapter explores the theme of the gifted musician who sells his soul to the devil in order to attain virtuosic musical powers. The link between surrealism and the lyrics of some blues songs is also explored, as well as Crumb’s own relationship to African American culture and religion.