Legends of the Blues

by William Stout, Ed Leimbacher (Introduction)

Overview

Robert Johnson, Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Howlin’ Wolf, Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters—say their names out loud and you can just hear the blues.

In this powerful book, acclaimed artist William Stout visualizes these artists and their music with 100 stunning portraits.

This collection includes profiles of classic musicians drawn by a master illustrator. Stout beautifully captures the signature style of each blues legend and then adds authoritative biographical text with personal and humorous writing that brings it on home. Includes recommended playlists.

Praise for Legends of the Blues:

“So good, you’d think illustrator William Stout made a deal with the devil.” —Mother Jones.com

“I could go on and on about how much I love Stout's detailed pen-and-ink work and pleasing watercolors” –Boing Boing

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419706868
Publisher:	Abrams ComicArts
Publication date:	05/07/2013
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 7.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

William Stout is an award-winning artist and writer who has worked for over 45 years in various media, including comics (Tarzan and Little Annie Fanny, with Harvey Kurtzman); film (with Monty Python, Jim Henson, Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, and Disney); the record industry; magazine illustration; and public murals at museums across the country, including the San Diego Natural History Museum and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. He lives in Pasadena, California.

Editorial Reviews

…[a] handsome and handy crash course in American blues music…Many of Stout's illustrations are as evocative as they are attractive.

The Washington Post - Chris Richards

How can it be that R. Crumb didn't include Robert Johnson in his iconic trading cards set of blues artists in 1980? That devilish omission is here remedied by Stout, a writer and artist in the style of Crumb, in his coverage of 100 blues legends who were not part of that earlier acclaimed collection. Each alphabetically arranged artist profile includes a full-color portrait plus witty facing-page biographical and playlist commentary framed by a fan's introduction by Leimbacher, a former Rolling Stone writer who owns the Seattle-area bookshop MisterEBooks. A bonus CD of 14 classic blues tracks from Shout! Factory artists is included. VERDICT A fine new companion to R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country (Abrams, 2006).

Library Journal