Product Description

Introduced by blues immortal B.B. King, this history is illustrated with rare photographs of the musicians, promoters, and venues, as well as a selection of record labels, posters, ads and other ephemera.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #259103 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this extensively illustrated, comprehensive volume, Grammy-winning CD producer Cohn provides an elegant pictoral and intellectual history. In the first of 11 essays, Samuel Charters writes on the roots of the blues; in others, David Evans digs into Texas and Deep South blues and Mark A. Humphrey examines the gospel and urban traditions of the blues. Bruce Basti, Jim O'Neal and Mary Katherine Aldin are among the writers covering such topics as white country blues, the 1960s blues revival and the blues today. Richard K. Spottswood offers an excellent essay on women and the blues. The 325 illustrations include Leadbelly's NYPD rap sheet, recording contracts and rare historic photos of blues performers making their music. Cohen does full justice to this rich and vibrant chapter of American musical history.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This compilation of 11 articles, edited by Grammy Award-winning blues producer Cohn, examines the beginnings and progress of the blues. The book starts with a penetrating essay by noted blues writer Samuel Chaters, who investigates the origins of the blues. It follows with chapters that clearly, extensively, and intelligently describe early blues in the Deep South and Texas, women and the blues, urban blues, the Sixties blues revival, and such often-neglected aspects of the blues tradition as gospel, Piedmont regional blues, white country blues, and the role of music researchers like John and Alan Lomax. Only chapters about the current blues scene and rhythm and blues offer disappointingly superficial treatment. Lavishly illustrated, well researched, and written in a lively style, this book should become a standard on the topic for both the general public and scholars. Recommended for most collections. The publisher is releasing a limited edition of this work that includes a compact disc.--Ed.
- David Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
[R]ich in photographs and other graphic mementos. . . . Boldly designed and conceived, [it is] rich enough to be considered [a] coffee table [book] but the thorough histories, biographies, discographies and other reference materials . . . qualify [it] as far more than the usual picture book. -- Belle Magazine, Winter '98

Customer Reviews

Without doubt a "definitive reference"
Every once in awhile a book comes along that can virtually answer all your questions and at the same time incorporate stories on artists both obscure and well-known...that keeps you from putting it down [very difficult for a book that can be considered a reference work]. The pictures included alone are well worth the price of the book. Many of them rare and never seen before by many of the blues fans who would be interested in this work. If you are going to have one book in your home library on Blues....this is the one to have. Tom tkdp@castle.net

An excellent but readable reference book
This substantial book is filled with rare, many never before seen black and white photos of decades of blues players, accompanied with an entertaining and informative text.

A great book for the blues fan, but readable enough for a newcomer to the genre. A must buy at an not unreasonable price, considering some slighter, less well researched and informative volumes.

All-Inclusive Blues Reference
This book touches on many of the important blues styles and describes how the music evolved into its current state from the many roots to the many styles that are still alive today. This is a serious reference, packed with all kinds of useful information and hundreds of rare pictures for any serious blues enthusiast.