From the Blurb: In The World of Soul, Arnold Shaw traces the evolution of American black music from the itinerant country bluesman of Blind Lemon Jefferson's era through the classic blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey; jazz singers like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald; black pop artists such as Dinah Washington, Nat "King" Cole, Johnny Mathis, and The Supremes; rhythm-and-blues stars like B.B King, Muddy Waters, The Drifters, and The Coasters; and Soul stars-Ray Charles, James Brown, Nina Simone, Otis Redding, and Aretha Franklin. Among the book's highlights are the author's analysis of each stage in our musical growth, the how and why of style changes that have occurred, plus touching insights into the lives and personalities of the artists involved. Another important aspect of The World of Soul is that Shaw's approach is sociological and psychological as well as musical. He views developments in pop music as a reflection of changes in the way people live, work, and dream. Whether one considers minstrelsy, ragtime, Dixieland jazz, swing, or rock 'n' roll, the Negro community has usually been the source of styles and forms that have given different musical periods their distinctive sound. As for soul-the blues of today-Shaw says its roots are in the field holler and the spiritual chant, but that it stems most immediately from gospel music, amplified by the electric and electronic intensities of our technological age.