Out of all the music I enjoy listening to, Blues has never been a top one. However, I appreciate how it has shaped the music world. I appreciate the hard work, troubles that people had to overcome and how it represented (and still does) a world rich in culture. And yes, I like it, there are a few songs I have enjoyed, but it is not my “go to” when it comes to listening. With that said, I know a few of the big names, but CeDell Davis was never on my radar that I can remember. That is until I found an online reader copy of Blues with a Butter Knife: The Unstoppable Music of CeDell Davis by Jason Peterson and illustrator R. Gregory Christie.
It is a great story about an artist we might not know of, but was influential in many ways. We watch as he unapologetically was himself in the fun, colorful, slightly abstract images that are both characters themselves and the supporting cast. We see how a child worked the fields, was told to “cut that noise” out and become so ill it would cause him to lose strength in his hands. This was just one more thing Davis had to overcome, which he did by taking a butter knife and using it to create a sound that would be unique. Copied, but never really reproduced. And because of that, we see how one day his mother (who had told him to stop playing that noise) told him to keep on playing.
The feeling of the overall story is both lighthearted and matter of fact. Things are presented without a lot of fanfare, but the writing style is also poetic in many ways. This also continues with the illustrations with their abstract-realism with details, style and colors. Due in September 2026, it is just in time for getting to have in your classroom for Black History Month and all year for the music loving readers.
