Lawrence Cohn Nothing But The Blues - The Music And The Musicans

(Abbeville Press) Paperback in English, 432 pages: This book is arguably the foundational work on this genre of music. In addition to first-class researched background information and an excellent writing style, it stands out with previously unpublished over 500 photos and illustrations. Indispensable for fans and collectors of blues music.

Divided into eleven chapters, specially prepared for this work, NOTHING BUT THE BLUES explores its African-American origins, its early development as a crowd-pleasing entertainment, its first sound recordings, its regional differences (Mid-South, Tidewater-Piedmont, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles), its stylistic peculiarities, and present situation. Country blues, urban blues, the development of rhythm and blues, rock ,n' roll, and the amazing blues revival in the '60s are explained at length.
NOTHING BUT THE BLUES presents numerous archival photos, some never seen, and images of documents, such as Leadbelly's NYPD criminal record sheet or record company contracts with the musicians.
Also included is a foreword by blues legend B.B. King and a hand-picked discography, a collector's selection with best-of-the-best recommendations that you should hear.