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California, Terrie Odabi in California. All the way to France. Do you know what I mean? Sometimes
based in Chicago and London, like two bases, I’m gonna have more UK artists and more Chicago artists.
BiTS:
I was going to say I’m impressed by the number of British artists that there are in there as well.
I t ’ s nice to see something about Connie Lush, for example.
JN:

Yeah, she was without a doubt, had to be in there. My
goal was diversity. Did I accomplish it 100%? No, but
I tried. Like I said I don’t have a drummer in there,
but I’ve got a violin player, I’ve got a guitar player.
Kyla’s a flute player. I just didn’t want all singers

in there.
BiTS:
Can you tell me, why is Bonnie Raitt in the first

part of the book along with what I guess is mostly
dead people, if you forgive me for saying so?
JN:
Not my idea. Between you and me, I’m not a Bonnie
Raitt fan. I don’t dislike her, but she doesn’t really move
me. I know, everybody loves her. I wanted Ruthie Foster
on the cover. I begged for Ruthie Foster. I had different ideas and
I don’t even like that picture. That’s my photo, but the reason why I gave her that
photo is because the photo she was gonna use which was in the public domain where you can use

someone’s photo, was way worse. It was a terrible photo. Bonnie Raitt, first of all, let me tell you, I
don’t know if you know this about her. Hates to be photographed. When she performs on stage, she
sets her band halfway back from the front of the stage and she has very very strict rules about being
photographed and she is from that old school rock and roll thinking. She doesn’t like the photograph.
So getting this photograph from Chicago

Blues Fest was really difficult and that was
early on. I’ve improved a lot since then, but
compared with the photo she wanted to use,
which you can see on various book websites,
on some of the old covers, this one is an
improvement. I did try to get an interview
with Bonnie Raitt. I did try to. I wasn’t

successful just like Mavis Staples. That
broke my heart. She’s surrounded by a team.
She’s up there. She’s got a team and she
didn’t have time to be interviewed. That
broke my heart because I have

photographed her since 2004. I go to all her
shows. I never miss her shows. She knows
me and I think if I were able to ask her face
to face. I even went so far as when she
played in London, at the Roundhouse, I
made up a card and wrote her a card with
photos of her at Chicago Blues Festivals and