cover image History of the Blues: The Roots, the Music, the People from Charley Patton to Robert Cray Francis Davis

History of the Blues: The Roots, the Music, the People from Charley Patton to Robert Cray Francis Davis

Francis Davis. Hyperion Books, $16.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-7868-8124-6

Atlantic Monthly music critic Davis traces the Blues from its Delta beginnings at the start of the century to its recent revival, focusing on individual artists as well as examining the way changes in race relations have altered perceptions of the music. (Feb.)