The Rough Guide to Blues Divas features classic tracks by many female blues legends including Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Victoria Spivey. It offers an exploration of the hugely significant and often overlooked role that women have played in the story of the blues. It also revives the memory of the largely forgotten 1920s blues queens as it includes many lesser-known gems by artists shrouded in mystery - these were pioneering artists who developed the blues tradition and took it to the popular stage.