“It Don't Make Sense”: W illie D ixon, The Blues, War, and Peace

Drawing its inspiration from blues “poet‐philosopher” W illie D ixon, this article highlights an overlooked stream of expressive protest on U . S . war and peace in A frican A merican blues tradition from the 1940s to the 1970s. D ixon, the author of more than five hundred compositions, was also a rebel for peace and social justice. In the 1980s, D ixon wrote “It Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace).” The song exemplified what D ixon argued was the deep wisdom of the blues; it is only one among many blues, by multiple artists, addressing the absurdities and contradictions of modern war from W orld W ar II to V ietnam. In the 1960s, blues crossed over to mainstream popularity. Unfortunately, A frican A merican blues songs on war went off the radar. This article argues that blues has been underappreciated as part of a global movement for peace.