A selection of writings, published between 1911 and 1998, on the subject of blues music. Included are contributions by folklorists, anthropologists, sociologists, literary artists, musicians, critics and aficionados. The appeal of blues music is reflected in the range of contributors to the volume, among them Howard W. Odum, Alan Lomax, Richard Alan Waterman, Langston Hughes, Paul Oliver, Sam Charters, Janheinz Jahn, James Baldwin, Leroi Jones, Charles Keil, Jeff Todd Titon, Houston Baker, Hazel Carby and Angela Davis. From these various perspectives emerges an understanding of the blues: its origin in African aesthetics; the impact of slavery and reconstruction; its early folk manifestations; and the importance of religion, style, gender, audience, protest, and the record business in its development as an art form. Further context is provided by an introduction, section overviews, and a bibliography, discography and videography of blues materials.