This is a book about the blues: more specifically it's a book about the artists who have helped make the blues one of the richest and most enduring music forms in the music in the world, whose influence has had far reaching implications. It is intended to be a helpful and much used reference book, a companion for a discovery of the blues or, if you are already a veteran blues fan, a tool to gain a broader view of this fascinating music form. There are over 600 artists covered in this encyclopedia, each one a sketch of the artist's life and career, tracing their development and the legacies they have left for continuation of the blues tradition. There is also a list of recordings under each entry, comprising those albums that are essential to gaining an understanding of the artist's work and a wider knowledge of blues history. Santelli defines the blues in a wide context, not limiting his range to American musicians, but including entries from throughout the world. He traces the development of the form, from its roots in the rural, oral Afro-American culture through the 1960s where its influence permeated mainstream pop to the 1990s and its important, lucrative and central position it plays in the music industry. Other work by the author includes Aquarius Rising, Sixties Rock: A Listener's Guide and The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers.