Blues and Gospel Recordings

Blues and Gospel Recordings: 1890–1943 is the fifth edition of a work that has been indispensable to listeners and scholars alike for over half a century. It is as comprehensive a listing as possible of the culturally and stylistically African American recordings made within its timeframe, with the exception of those usually regarded as jazz and those by secular vocal groups that are part of the mainstream of popular music.

The book covers all types of recorded sound documents, not only commercial recordings sold to the public on discs and cylinders but also films, transcription discs for the use of radio stations, and surviving radio broadcasts. Sound documents recorded by African Americans at locations outside the United States are included, as well as field recordings made for or deposited with academic institutions. In this new edition, the holdings of the Library of Congress are covered at greater length, in more detail, and more accurately. Numerous extensive and historically important collections held by other institutions are documented in print for the first time. The main text is preceded by a survey of the activities of the companies that recorded blues and gospel material for inclusion in Race series, along with a summary of the visits their traveling recording units made to the South.

Previous editions have been praised for their completeness and accuracy. For this edition, the text has been thoroughly revisited, with many revisions made, and significantly expanded in coverage and scope. Available as an ebook for the first time, this is the essential guide to the enjoyment and study of the first half-century of recorded African American blues and gospel music.