From the Beginning, the Beatles acknowledged in interviews their debt to Black music, apparent in their covers of and original songs inspired by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, the Shire lies, and other giants of R&B. Blackbird goes deeper, appreciating unacknowledged forerunners, as well as Black artists whose interpretations keep the Beatles in play. Drawing on interviews and using the song "Blackbird" as a touchstone, Katie Kapurch and Jon Marc Smith tell a new history of the relationship between the Beatles and Black musicians. The authors present unheard stories and resituate old ones, using the phrase "transatlantic flight" to characterize the back-and-forth dialogue among these artists. The lineage traced in this book reaches back to the very beginnings of American popular music, starting with the ring shout and gospel. From there, chapters consider the original twentieth-century blackbird, Florence Mills, and the King of the Twelve String, Lead Belly, as well as Nina Simone, Billy Preston, Jimi Kendrix, Aretha Franklin, Sylvester, and many others. Kapurch and Smith follow the "Blackbird" thread to the twenty-first century, showing how Black artists like Bettye LaVette harness the Beatles for today. Appealing to those interested in developing a deep understanding of the evolution of popular music, this book promises that you'll never hear "Blackbird"-and the Beatles-the same way again.