This study begins with an overview of poor relief practices throughout the country, covering the period from the early 1730s to the late 1890s. "Outdoor" and "indoor" relief methods are discussed in detail ("outdoor being a practice in which paupers received at-home aid or were boarded with private families, and "indoor" being one in which paupers were confined to a local institution where they received aid); also discussed are the general public's changing attitudes toward paupers as time passed and society changed. Next, the text draws from original town documents to create a detailed picture of poor relief-its processes, principles and evolution-in the three Strafford County towns of Durham, Lee, and Madbury. The studied time period runs from the incorporations of these towns (1732, 1766, and 1768 respectively) to the end of the nineteenth century, by which time poor relief administration was becoming centralized on the county and state levels. The conclusion offers an analysis of the information presented: it compares the three towns' poor relief practices to national practices, and ponders the merits and drawbacks of these methods as well as factors contributing to their development. The appendix contains tables which list town expenditures (total and for poor relief) for each of the years studied. This thorough account is written in a very readable manner; tales of individual paupers and their situations, as gleaned from existing records, enrich the reading.

Starting in 1945 and continuing for the next twenty years, dozens of African American rhythm and blues artists made records that incorporated West Indian calypso. Some of these recordings were remakes or adaptations of existing calypsos but many were original compositions. Several, such as "Stone Cold Dead in de Market" by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan or "If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul, became major hits in both the rhythm and blues and pop music charts. While most remained obscurities, the fact that over 170 such recordings were made during this time period suggests that there was sustained interest in calypso among rhythm and blues artists and record companies during this era. Rhythm & Blues Goes Calypso explores this phenomenon starting with a brief history of calypso music as it developed in its land of origin, Trinidad and Tobago, the music's arrival in the United States, a brief history of the development of rhythm and blues, and a detailed description and analysis of the adaptation of calypso by African American R & B artists during the period 1945-1965. The book also seeks to make musical and cultural connections between the West Indian immigrant community and the broader African American community that produced this musical hybrid. While the number of such recordings was small compared to the total number of rhythm and blues recordings, calypso was a persistent and sometimes a major component of early rhythm and blues for at least two decades and deserves recognition as part of the history of African American popular music.

Starting in 1945 and continuing for the next twenty years, dozens of African American rhythm and blues artists made records that incorporated West Indian calypso. Some of these recordings were remakes or adaptations of existing calypsos, but many were original compositions. Several, such as "Stone Cold Dead in de Market" by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan or "If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul, became major hits in both the rhythm and blues and pop music charts. While most remained obscurities, the fact that over 170 such recordings were made during this time period suggests that there was sustained interest in calypso among rhythm and blues artists and record companies during this era. Rhythm and Blues Goes Calypso explores this phenomenon starting with a brief history of calypso music as it developed in its land of origin, Trinidad and Tobago, the music's arrival in the United States, a brief history of the development of rhythm and blues, and a detailed description and analysis of the adaptation of calypso by African American R&B artists between 1945 and 1965. This book also makes musical and cultural connections between the West Indian immigrant community and the broader African American community that produced this musical hybrid. While the number of such recordings was small compared to the total number of rhythm and blues recordings, calypso was a persistent and sometimes major component of early rhythm and blues for at least two decades and deserves recognition as part of the history of African American popular music.

Arizona Dranes (1889-1963) was a true musical innovator whose recordings made for the Okeh label during the years 1926-1928 helped lay the foundations for what would soon be known as gospel music. Her unique blend of ragtime, barrelhouse, and boogie woogie piano plus her exciting and emotional Pentecostal style of singing influenced the development of gospel music for the next forty years and beyond. The School of Arizona Dranes: Gospel Music Pioneer covers the life and career of Dranes and situates her accomplishments in the broader history of African American gospel music and the rise of the Pentecostal movement. Starting with the earliest recordings of the music in the late nineteenth century, this book provides a history of African American sacred and gospel music that convincingly demonstrates the revolutionary nature of Dranes s musical accomplishment. Using specific examples, the author traces the far-reaching influence of Arizona Dranes on African American gospel piano playing and singing.