'Black women have been belting out their songs since the Dreamtime but European Australia has been woefully slow to recognise them. This vibrant graphic history of black women singers, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, salvages and celebrates the many talented singers who have been largely overlooked by those who document mainstream music. Among the first Australians recorded was one of the last Tasmanian Aborigines, singer Fanny Cochrane Smith. Many black singers came out of missions, imbibing sacred songs and country music, while others such as West Indian-Australian, cross-dressing vaudevillian Nellie Small burst onto the scene singing traditional jazz tunes. From the first classical Indigenous sopranos, Lorna Beulah and Nancy Ellis, to rising pop stars such as Jessica Mauboy, this marvellous book is bursting with gutsy, black voices that demand to be heard.' (Introduction)
