by Raymond Astbury (Author)
The Bay Area had a thriving black music scene in the forties and fifties and, although it can hardly be seen as a rival of Chicago or Los Angeles for its recording of blues and r & b, it did produce works of high quality and worthy of the attention of anyone interested in that kind of music. Labels such as Pacific, Trilon, Music City, Rhythm and those in the Bob Geddins group put out many fine records by artists such as Saunders King, Ivory Joe Hunter, Jimmy McCracklin, Jimmy Wilson, Roy Hawkins, Johnny Fuller and Sugar Pie DeSanto. This book attempts to provide a thorough survey of the major and minor artists who made up the tapestry of the Bay Area's blues and r & b. Fully documented and profusely illustrated this is the first attempt to give an account of an important part of the history of black music.