The Ivory Men is a discographical examination of the work of two important pianists  who recorded in Chicago during the nineteen-thirties under the promotion of the Melrose brothers, Lester and Walter the mysterious Black Bob and the less mysterious Blind John Davis, both of whom accompanied numerous vocalists ranging from the great blues guitarists Big Bill and Tampa Red and the saucy and soulful singers Memphis Minnie, Lil Johnson and the Yas Yas Girl (Merline Johnson) to lesser artistes in the blues and hokum fields. The book sets out to elucidate the puzzle of Black Bob's identity by musical analysis and comparison, presenting the evidence for and against his identification with the Chicago pianist Bob Hudson. It also sets out the life and career of Blind John both during and outside of the period in question, including a memoir by the researcher Karl Gert zur Heide who befriended the pianist later in his life in the U.S.A and Europe.

 

The book also includes feedback of additions and corrections to books in the Cygnet series. It comes with a complimentary CD containing representative material on 78 r.p.m recordings in the authors' collections.

 

Papaerback 88 pages, illustrated in black and white. Foreword by Michael Hortig.