The Blues: A Visual History will be a unique, fully illustrated (over 250 colour images) account of the blues - the common denominator that has driven and permeated the popular music of the last hundred years. As well as tracing the story of the blues through its various styles, the book will include profiles of no fewer than fifty key artists - including fact files with biographical information, recording histories (and must have "Playlists") and more, for each - and feature the most important blues performers. Each chapter also includes three special features that will focus on specific topics of particular interest, and give insights into the social background in which the blues developed as a form. Quotes and firsthand accounts from a variety of musicians and singers, plus eminent blues historians, record producers, and journalists worldwide. Unrivalled illustrated celebration of the blues - other titles on the market are either primarily text accounts or encyclopaedia style reference books. Access to key archives including the Smithsonian Institution (NB the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is opening in 2015), the Library of Congress, the Mississippi Blues Foundation, University of Mississippi Blues Archive, the Delta Blues Museum, and many more.