From the steamy cotton fields of Mississippi, to the meanstreets of Chicago and beyond, the history of the bluesmirrors that of African American society in the 20th century.Respected music writer, historian, and record producerRobert Palmer traces the history of the music that begatevery other form of American popular music in rich detail,blending first-hand accounts, interviews, and historicalnarrative into a seamless, eminently readable and enjoyablehistorical work of great importance. This book should berequired reading for highschool history students, fans ofpopular music, and anyone who enjoys engrossing andentertaining non-fiction writing.