Ma Rainey and the Classic Blues Singers

New York: Stein & Day, 1970. Trade Paperback. Very Good. 5" x 7 3/4. 112 pages indexed. Tight clean book with some cover edge wear. No marks stamps or underlining. Wwhite high quality paper. A critical discussion of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and the Classic women singers of the twenties who first put blues on record and established its relationship to jazz. Contents: Towards a Definition, The Classic Blues Vaudevill Style, Brief Interlude Reflections on Rosa, The Classic Blues Southern Style, Wild Women Get the Blues, Queens of the Moaners, A Blues Mix, The Lesser-Known Singers, Conclusion The Post-Classic Period. Plus Acknowledgments, Book List, and Discography. Black and white photographs on almost every page plus photos of many record labels, newspaper stories etc. The author dedicates the book To one of the great Blues Queens. Victoria Spivey, who by her help made this book possible. Also tomy grat friend John Van Praagh who first gave me the tast for the Classic Blues. Covers Mamie Smith, Lucille Hegamin,Edith Wilson, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Vicdtoria Spivey, Clara Smith, Sippie Wallace, Berth Chippie Hill, Maggie Jones, Alberta Hunter, and other lesser-known singers.