Best Blues Book of the Year, Living Blues Readers' Poll: "A fascinating look at one of the great independent record labels, and producers, of our time." — Library JournalIt started with the searing sound of a slide careening up the neck of an electric guitar. In 1970, twenty-three-year-old Bruce Iglauer walked into Florence's Lounge in Chicago's South Side and was overwhelmed by the joyous, raw music of Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers. A year...

The philosophy of the bluesFrom B.B. King to Billie Holiday, Blues music not only sounds good, but has an almost universal appeal in its reflection of the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Its ability to powerfully touch on a range of social and emotional issues is philosophically inspiring, and here, a diverse range of thinkers and musicians offer illuminating essays that make important connections between the human condition and the Blues that will appeal...