As much a history of the African-American experience as it is a music resource, Wyman's latest book (after Stone Alone)
chronicles the rise of that heartbreaking, uniquely American music: the blues. With beautiful photographs, maps, drawings, portraits, time lines and record cover reproductions, the book spans nearly 400 years, from 1619 and the origins of slavery to the modern-day sounds of Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton. Although Wyman (of the Rolling Stones and the recently formed Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings) is credited as the author, the work includes many boxed quotations from the musician himself, thus leaving the reader wondering how much of the writing actually fell on Havers, who receives only minor recognition. This stands as a truly comprehensive look at the blues. Readers learn about Papa Charlie Jackson, one of the first bluesmen to record (in Chicago, 1924); Ma Rainey, credited with bridging the gap between "urban" and "country" blues; and John Lee Hooker, who before his recent death was the "last living link to the prewar Delta blues tradition." The authors also discuss particular songs, including "Beale Street Blues" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," telling who has covered them and when. Instruments, geographical locations and record labels are discussed, as are society's racial reactions to the music (for example, although physical segregation was rampant in the 1950s, radio helped in eroding the differences between black and white). Throughout, interesting if sometimes irrelevant details abound: from tidbits about Fats Waller's childhood to the finer points of cotton growing and a list of battles won by the Confederacy. Overwhelming and extensive, this is a fine addition to any African-American history, jazz or blues collection. (Sept.)
