James Baldwin famously avowed that “[i]t is only in his music [. . .] that the Negro in America has been able to tell his story,” and music of various kinds features prominently in Sonny’s Blues. Note all the times when music is mentioned, as well as all the varieties of music. What story seems to be told both through and about music in Sonny’s Blues?

James Baldwin famously avowed that “[i]t is only in his music [. . .] that the Negro in America has been able to tell his story,” and music of various kinds features prominently in Sonny’s Blues. Note all the times when music is mentioned, as well as all the varieties of music. What story seems to be told both through and about music in Sonny’s Blues?