February 8, 2002

Jim O'Neal was a co-founding publisher and editor of Living Blues magazine from 1970-87. He interviewed many of the most famous blues musicians on the Chicago and international scene. The magazine helped launch and sustain the blues revival, focusing on living bluesmen, as opposed to more scholarly journals that focused on blues history. His new book, which he co-edited with Amy Van Singel, is THE VOICE OF THE BLUES: Classic Interviews From Living Blues Magazine (Routledge, pb. 24.95). The book brings together interviews with many pioneering blues men including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, B.B. King, and many others. The event will feature special music.