Sins in Blue

by Brian Kaufman

  Thanks also to Black Rose Writing. Reagan Rothe is a fearless publisher.

  A historical novel is a blend of fact and fiction. Let me mention a few places where hard facts gave way to the necessities of storytelling.

  I didn’t have to do much research for the scenes set in Fort Collins, Colorado. My family moved to Colorado in August of 1969, and I crafted my settings from memory. Of course, memory is a foggy liar, so discrepancies surely exist.

  Fort Collins was a dry town until 1969, allowing 3.2 beer within the city limits, but not liquor. Because the novel ends with the Rolling Stones concert in November of that year, I had a fixed timeline to deal with. I played fast and loose with some details to be able to mention some old Fort Collins businesses I frequented (and loved) back in the day. I also changed a name or two. More on that later.

  The ancient “blues legend” character at the Spinning Mule juke who told my novel’s protagonist that the blues are “not a race” was loosely (very loosely) based on Robert Curtis Smith, the pride of Cruger, Mississippi.

  The historical Willie Johnson—Blind Willie Johnson—got a passing mention in my novel. Blind Willie was a blues singer turned preacher who died in 1945. He played a fine slide guitar. I’m partial to his song, Dark was the Night; Cold was the Ground. When NASA sent Voyager into space in 1977, that song was included on the twenty-seven-song gold record disk that was part of the space probe’s payload.

  I liked Willie’s name (and if you’ve read the novel, you know why). I also liked the idea of an unknown playing at the periphery of blues history with a name he has to share. A lot of guys named Sonny, Lightning and Blind Boy would understand.

  Now, a few words about underage drinking. In the 1960s, it was not uncommon to sell liquor to minors. The drinking age wasn’t taken as seriously back then, and the idea that someone old enough to die in Viet Nam ought to be able to vote and drink may have affected how some businesses approached age restrictions. Growing up, I had no trouble purchasing alcohol underage outside of town. Nevertheless, several of the twelve bars mentioned in Sins in Blue have been fictionalized to avoid linking places I loved to my particular habits and attitudes.

  The 1960s were a different world. Some changes are for the better.

  The main theme of Sins in Blue—cultural appropriation—is an important contemporary issue, open to discussion. Like Willie, I think more of people’s actions than I do of words (surprising, perhaps, coming from an author). In my view, a person committed to diversity is more likely to embrace aspects of other cultures and take them in rather than setting boundaries and acting as gatekeeper. The latter strikes me as the same old Jim Crow behaviors with a brand-new wrapper.

  But starting a dialog was not my main purpose in writing the story. My primary motivation was to craft a love letter to my favorite music. My own blues journey began with the discovery of a four-song EP by harmonica virtuoso Sonny Terry in a record store bargain bin. I heard Women’s Blues (Corrina) once and was hooked for life. I recently gave that EP away to a young friend who plays guitar like a house on fire. Important things should be handed down.

  My second motivation for Sins in Blue was to write a tragic love story. Son House said that the blues was about love, and I agree.

  Finally, I wanted, through Willie’s story, to “play” a few songs that I’d written but could never perform. I can’t sing a lick, and my guitar work is forever slow, cramped, and awful.

  But Willie? That guy could play.

  Brian Kaufman

  Laporte, Colorado 2019

  GLOSSARY

  Abyssinia: “I’ll be seeing you.”

  Box: Guitar

  Bull: Railroad cop

  Gig: A paying job for a musician

  Gobble-pipe: Saxophone

  Going dizzy: Falling in love

  H: Heroin

  Harp: Harmonica

  Jeff: A generic name for someone who’s “uncool”

  Machine heads: Tuning knobs on a guitar

  Mexican mud: Heroin from Mexico

  Outro: The concluding piece of a musical composition

  Sterno: Wax soaked with alcohol

  T: Marijuana

  Trip for biscuits: A worthless errand

  QUOTE ATTRIBUTIONS

  The song lyrics in “Sins in Blue” are the original work of the author. Some chapter headers, however, used actual quotes (listed below with sources for your reference):

  “Young people have forgotten to cry the blues. Now they talk and get lawyers and things.”

  ~Big Bill Broonzy

  https://brainyquote.com/quotes/big_bill_broonzy_2650087?src+t_blues

  “Saturday night is your big night. Everybody used to fry up fish and have one hell of a time. Find me playing till sunrise for 50 cents and a sandwich. And be glad of it.”

  ~Muddy Waters

  https://brainyquote.com/quotes/muddy_waters_196670

  “Ain’t but one kind of blues, and that consists between a male and female that’s in love…”

  ~Son House https://quotefancy.com/quote/1758465/Son-House-Ain-t-but-one-kind-of-blues-and-that-consists-of-a-male-and-female-that-s-in

  “It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to make a blues record.”

  ~Hugh Laurie

  https://brainyquote.com/quotes/hugh_laurie_593182?src=t_blues

  “Some of the greatest blues music is some of the darkest music you’ve ever heard.”

  ~Bruce Springsteen

  https://brainyquote.com/quotes/bruce_springsteen_460844?scr=t_blues

  “Audiences like their blues singers to be miserable.”

  ~Janis Joplin

  https://brainyquote.com/quotes/janis_joplin_379275?scr=t_blues

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Brian Kaufman is curriculum editor for an online junior college. His published writing includes six novels, three textbooks and three novellas. In other universes, he is a pro wrestler, a radio talk show host or center fielder for the Yankees. In this universe, he lives with his wife and dog in the Colorado Mountains, avoiding moderation and any pretense of maturity.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed Sins in Blue, please leave a review online—anywhere you are able. Even if it’s just a sentence or two. It would make all the difference and would be very much appreciated.

  Thanks!

  Brian

  We hope you enjoyed reading this title from:

  www.blackrosewriting.com

  Subscribe to our mailing list – The Rosevine – and receive FREE eBooks, special deals, and stay current with news about upcoming releases and our hottest authors. Click below to sign up.

  SUBSCRIBE HERE

  Already a subscriber? Please accept a sincere thank you for being a fan of Black Rose Writing authors.