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Though the British blues-rockers The Animals recorded a gritty version of a song called “Gin House Blues” in 1966, the tune was originally released by Bessie Smith in 1928 under the name “Me and My Gin.” Smith, the storied blues singer of the Prohibition and Great Depression, did record another song a few years earlier that may have confused other artists over the years who attempted to cover Smith’s version.
...moreFor JSTOR Daily, Tara Isabella Burton revisits Prohibition during the Coolidge administration, when the moral outrage that pushed for Prohibition didn’t extend to saving the lives of people dying from poisoned industrial alcohol:
...more…[the] New York of the 1920’s viewed certain populations as disposable.
Beloved children’s book author Dr. Seuss was a bit of a frat boy, the Washington Post claims. The author of dozens of quirky titles drew cartoons for the campus literary magazine and was caught drinking gin—in the middle of prohibition.
...moreLitquake’s upcoming literary speakeasy promises “Prohibition-era cocktails, jazz, readings, and lots of feathers.”
Bay Area writers, including Rumpus friends Robin Ekiss, Josh Mohr, and our own Isaac Fitzgerald, will channel prominent historic authors.
Thursday, July 19th, 8pm at San Francisco’s Public Works (161 Erie Street).
...more