From Swing to Soul is set against the cultural and economic changes of the times and charts the transformation from Depression-era rural blues to urban blues, from big-band jazz or "swing" to modern jazz or "be-bop", from rhythm and blues to rock-'n'-roll, and on to soul.Barlow's essays highlight the different settings in which black music flourished. Biographies chronicle the lives of composers, instrumentalists, and vocalists who shaped black contributions to the American "soundscape".The text is illustrated with compelling photographs of household names -- Ellington, Basie, Waller, Parker, Holiday, Cole -- and lesser-known luminaries such as Lizzie "Memphis Minnie" Douglas.This musical era continues to reverberate in today's popular rock, rap, jazz, and hip-hop -- a legacy of the tenacious genius of its creators.