It's not what is said in this book, but what is not. When Elvis Presley gets more space then Memphis Minnie, and Ike Turner gets more pages then Dinah Washington. I began to frown. Where is Big Maybell? Where is Big Mama Thronton? Where is Ruby Glaze? Where is Bessie Tucker? Where is Lucille Bogan? Where is Victoria Spivey? Where is Sippy Wallace? Where is Alberta Hunter? Where is Bonnie Lee? Where is Julia Lee? Where is Nellie Lutcher? Where is Ivy Smith? Where is Katie Webster? Where is Lil Johnson? Where is Bernice Edwards. Where is Ethel Waters? Where is Georgia White? It's not that I appreciate the contributions of Tina Turner or Janis Joplin they have record some fine blues, but Courtney Love? She may be a bad girl, but she is certainly NOT a blues singer. Not to mention the above women who lived the blues to the fullest is a real shame!

Some readers may be familiar with the general contours of the lives of the women presented here--Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Aretha Franklin, and others. But the way that Jackson weaves together these stories against the tapestry of 20th Century American culture is original and compelling. Jackson convincingly shows how different woman blues singers (and later rock and alt country singers) drew on each other's work for inspiration. Their contributions were cultural and social as well as artistic. Most importantly, for potential readers--Jackson tells a good story. The writing is gripping and fast-paced. I recommend it highly.