State of the Blues

State of the Blues is photographer Jeff Dunas's stirring tribute to the power of the blues, an American tradition that has its roots in the Mississippi Delta and branches that have spread around the world. One of the most vital early expressions of African-American culture, blues music makes poetry of sorrow and finds humour and bitter irony in the hardships of life. It tells of love lost and regained, and of the fight for dignity in a world that judges people by the colour of their skin. Alongside a series of intimate portraits of the greatest blues performers of our time including BB King, Koko Taylor, John Lee Hooker, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, Bonnie Raitt and many others, the book presents Dunas' timeless photographs of the landmarks and byways of the blues highway - a heritage trail through the American South that leads from New Orleans to Chicago, where the blues continues to thrive today. Interviews that Dunas conducted with a number of the performers shed light on the origins and the future of the blues tradition. An introduction to State of the Blues by noted scholar William Ferris provides the cultural and historical context for Dunas' remarkable photographs. A preface by legendary blues performer John Lee Hooker sets the stage for this unprecedented look at the state of the blues.