Encyclopedia essential to the amateur blues by one of the world's top specialists. There would probably be a need to update certain dates, certain elements of the experience of these musicians, reviewing the discographies too datées.Le time passes, it is terrible for the old bluesmen, discographies by cons have expanded since. Distilled fundamentals here regarding the history of the blues are essential to better know this founding music, to better know as Black History in USA, hollow it allows to understand a part of the functioning of American society at the XXth century. These far outweigh the failures due to the time lag inexorably.