In this thoughtful and engaging book Vera Lee probes the interplay of black and white popular music in America from antebellum times to the rise of bebop. She examines connections between the races in a wide variety of fields, such as musical comedy, radio, recording, songwriting and vocalists, business, dance, and of course, jazz. Lee uncovers recurring and ever-present patterns in the symbiotic relationship between black and white musicians and their music. Wynton Marsalis describes the black and white connections in music as "this strange dance that we've been doing with each other since the beginning of our relationship in America." This book focuses precisely on that dance, analyzing what each of the two partners, black and white, brings to the dance and "discovering how each meshes or remains out-of-step with the music and each other." Based on extensive scholarship and research, the book is also readable and accessible. A ground-breaker in many respects, it represents a fascinating and highly informative contribution to the fields of music, American popular culture, and the African-American heritage. - Back cover.