Reviews

This ambitious biographical encyclopedia delivers the goods, listing over 600 entries from every era and style of the blues. Santelli's wide definition of blues music includes styles from folk to rock to zydeco. Important British artists like Eric Clapton and John Mayal are covered, and songwriters and producers also receive recognition. Some purists may quibble about the inclusion of Lucinda Williams and the absence of Koerner, Ray and Glover (the trio that introduced country blues to many white college students in the Sixties). Still, the concise, informative biographical data and the lists of essential recordings that follow each entry make this book essential for any comprehensive music collection. Highly recommended.-- Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.