Washoe County Library System

Personal histories of great bluesmen trace the evolution of the blues from Africa to the Mississippi Delta. --Publisher.

The blues is a seven-part documentary film series exploring the evolution of the blues, featuring rare archival performance footage of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon... et al., also including over 100 newly-filmed performances by contemporary artists such as B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Beck... et al. singing classic blues songs.

"This book by expert blues scholar Gayle Dean Wardlow reveals the stories of the great blues pioneers - many in their own words. Based on personal interviews, public records, and even door-to-door canvassing, Wardlow's lively writings reflect the unique excitement of blues search-and-discovery. He paints colorful portraits of both legends and unknowns of the 1920s, '30s, and beyond who helped shape the music: Charlie Patton, Ishmon Bracey, Bukka White,...

"Recording and performing in the early 1950s, Jesse Belvin, Johnny Ace, and Guitar Slim produced at least thirteen top-25 hits among them. In the years since, their songs have been covered by artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Luther Vandross, and Paul Simon, and they have influenced musicians as varied as Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Despite all that, their names remain mostly forgotten in the annals of rock 'n...