Blues was once described as the devil's music. It eventually became some of the most beloved American music that was embraced by a global audience. Originating in African American communities in the South in the late 1800s, it was inspired by gospel and spiritual music sung by field hands and sharecroppers who worked on plantations. During the Great Migration from the early 1900s to the mid-1970s, many African Americans moved north for a better quality of life. Chicago was one of America's leading industrialized cites, and manufacturing jobs were plentiful and provided better wages than sharecropping. Many blues musicians who worked as field hands and sharecroppers moved to Chicago not only for those jobs, but also to pursue their love of music. Greats such as Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red, Muddy Waters, Jimmy and Estelle Yancey, Robert Nighthawk, Elmore James, Willie Dixon, Earl Hooker, Koko Taylor, Sly Johnson, Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf, Eddie Burns, Zora Young, Junior Wells, and a host of others came with their own styles and gave birth to Chicago blues.

What was once described as an undesirable swampland has been transformed into one of the most beautiful and wealthiest neighborhoods in America. Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, developed in the late 1800s, was first called the Astor Street District. It was named after one of the first multimillionaires in the United States, John Jacob Astor--even though Astor never lived in Chicago. In 1885, Astor Street District's first mansion was built. Potter Palmer, a dry goods merchant and owner of the Palmer House Hotel, built his palatial, castle-like residence on the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Banks Street; inside the Palmer mansion were 42 lavishly furnished rooms, which required 26 servants to maintain. Many wealthy Chicagoans followed Palmer's lead and built mansions in the neighborhood. Several homes took up an entire city block and, as time progressed, the name Gold Coast was adopted. On January 30, 1978, the entire Gold Coast district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

"Jones continues to be the master at creating dishes to excite your taste buds. Delicious " --Donna Hodge, food editor, N'DIGO magapaper

Crawfish etoufee, Chicken Fried Steak, Creamed Spinach, Mixed Berry Cobbler. . .Is your mouth watering yet? These decadent, flavor-rich dishes are part of the long Southern tradition of "smothered" foods.

Rooted in the author's upbringing and peppered throughout with personal anecdotes, Smothered Southern Foods explains the simple art of "smothering" as nothing more complicated than covering one food with another food or sauce, while baking or braising the dish in a covered skillet or pot. Vegetables, meats, and even desserts can be smothered, and the results are any food lover's delight.

With tips on buying and storing vegetables, easy-to-follow directions and serving suggestions, and recipes for 105 mouthwatering favorites, "Smothered Southern Foods" is a delicious way to bring the true taste of the South into your own home, the way Southern chefs have cooked for generations.

"Foods that bring us comfort and are just darn good " --Art Smith, bestselling author of "Back to the Table"

Includes scrumptious recipes for these smothered classics:

• Creamed Onions
• Buttered Kale
• Fricassee of Clams
• Sole in White Wine Sauce
• Chicken and Rice
• Pepper Steak
• Bourbon Pumpkin Pie
• Rum-Raisin Pears

. . .And many more

"Finger-licking meals for a new generation of soul food lovers." --Retha Hill, vice president of Content, BET.com

Wilbert Jones is the president of Healthy Concepts, Inc., a Chicago-based food and beverage product development company, founded in 1993. He attended the ecole de Gastronomie Francaise Ritz-Escoffier in Paris, and was a food scientist at Kraft Foods. In 2002 he was inducted into the prestigious Les Amis d'Escoffier Society of Chicago. Jones is also a contributing editor for "Prepared Foods Magazine" and a freelance special features writer for Black Entertainment Television's website.

Wilbert's inspiration for cooking came from his grandmother Ruth Randle, who was one of the best cooks in Mississippi. "Smothered Southern Foods " is filled with special recipes and stories about Jones' childhood and recent meals prepared for his family and friends.