In this expertly researched, elegantly written, dispassionate yet thoughtful history (Gary Giddins), award-winning author Ted Gioia gives us the rare combination of a tome that is both deeply informative and enjoyable to read (Publishers Weekly, starred review). From the field hollers of nineteenth-century plantations to Muddy Waters and B.B. King, Delta Blues delves into the uneasy mix of race and money at the point where traditional music became commercial and bluesmen found new audiences of thousands. Combining extensive fieldwork, archival research, interviews with living musicians, and...