About the Author

Steven C. Tracy is Associate Professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His books include Langston Hughes and the Blues; Going to Cincinnati; and A Brush with the Blues, and he is coeditor of The Complete Works of Langston Hughes. An accomplished blues musician, he has opened for such performers as B. B. King, Muddy Waters, and Bo Diddley.

Reviews

"An essential compendium for the music lover. Enriched by Tracy's thoughtful prefaces, these writings on blues gather a century's worth of insights into this music that, more than any other, represents the human condition in the modern world. A celebration and a triumph."--Jeff Todd Titon, author of Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis