This is a biographical and critical guide to performers and writers in a wide variety of musical fields, including pop, rock, rap, jazz, rhythm and blues, folk, New Age, country, gospel, and reggae. Each biannual volume covers 80-100 musicians. Contemporary Musicians provides vital statistics, detailed biographical source information, critical essays, photographs, entertaining personal sidelights, selected discographies and, when available, addresses. Biographies are drawn from the various musical genres as represented by the breakdown of record sales reported by the Recording Industry Association of America.