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It's a Girl Thang

It's time for the ladies to represent at this website devoted to women in blues. Lea A. Gilmore, an ACLU director from Maryland, clearly knows a thing or two about women's contributions to blues music, and she provides concise historical profiles of 19 of the most influential, from Bessie Smith to Dinah Washington to my personal favorite, Mahalia Jackson. She also provides a selection of incisive artist interviews with current blues performers like Roxy Perry, Ann Rabson, and Sydney Ellis. I only hope that Gilmore finds the time to include sound clips in the future. Reading about these blues pioneers and their artistic progeny made me want to hear some of their music firsthand.

Thu, 23 Dec 1999 08:53:34 -0800