Davis, Angela Yvonne

Argues that the women's movement is in trouble because of race and class issues which have their roots in nineteenth-century feminist attitudes.

Analyzes the performances, words, and lives of African-American blues artists Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday, and attempts to explore the feminist implications of their recorded music. Includes original transcriptions of the lyrics of all available recordings by Rainey and Smith.