Covering blues musicians past and present, and containing entries by some of today's leading blues writers, this is a guide to the artists who shaped the blues and who have in turn affected the development of popular music in the 20th century. With Eric Clapton's return to his blues roots and the rise of musicians such as Robert Cray, Jeff Healey and Gary Moore, there has been renewed interest in blues music, as witnessed in the revival of John Lee Hooker's career with his album, "The Healer". The book includes profiles of guitarists such as Elmore James, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and Albert Collins; singers such as Bessie Smith, Howlin' Wolf, Big Joe Turner and Koko Taylor; pianists Ray Charles and Fats Domino; and the legion of white musicians who have popularized the blues since the 1960s, including John Mayall, Johnny Winter, Peter Green, Paul Butterfield and Stevie Ray Vaughan.