"What a monumental discourse into the mysteries and pleasures of the blues and a wonderful addition to one’s library.”
​
- John Mayall, “the Godfather of British Blues,” Blues Hall of Fame inductee
"This book is wildly, incredibly brilliant. I never knew why I loved the blues - and now I do. What a fabulous read."
​
- Caroline Myss, New York Times best-selling author of Anatomy of the Spirit
“Marie Trout's, THE BLUES, is a fascinating work of social history about fans of blues music. Her insightful analysis also sheds new light on events in the broader society and her findings will be of great interest to sociologists and social psychologists.”
​
- Raymond Moody MD, PhD, world-renowned scholar and researcher, New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of Life After Life
“Incredible research unearthing things I never knew! Totally captivating.”
​
- Jim Gaines, Grammy-winning producer/engineer Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Lee Hooker
"Although the therapeutic value of music has not been wholly certified in scientific terms, it is nevertheless an accepted premise in our culture, one that Marie Trout explores with as much passion as scholarship in her book The Blues: Why It Still Hurts So Good. By homing in on a specific genre as her focal point, she's able to credibly illuminate the various themes of that aforementioned premise in such a way her readers will believe as deeply in it as she does by the time they're done reading." LINK
- Doug Collette, All About Jazz
“For a true appreciation of the enduring power of the blues, Dr. Marie Trout cleverly highlights the connection between music and consciousness in a way that breaks new ground.”
- Bruce D Schneider, PhD, author of Energy Leadership, founder of iPEC
"Marie Trout has done something quite unique. Many can write about the business of the blues, but not many can speak personally about the tribulations along the way. Although she may not play or sing blues for a living, there's no question about her personal contact with the blues. I recommend you read this unique perspective.”
- Joe Louis Walker, Grammy Award winning blues musician, Blues Hall of Fame inductee
"Although the therapeutic value of music has not been wholly certified in scientific terms, it is nevertheless an accepted premise in our culture, one that Marie Trout explores with as much passion as scholarship in her book The Blues: Why It Still Hurts So Good. By homing in on a specific genre as her focal point, she's able to credibly illuminate the various themes of that aforementioned premise in such a way her readers will believe as deeply in it as she does by the time they're done reading." LINK
- Doug Collette, All About Jazz
“From where the blues came to where the blues are going, a fascinating journey of a universal genre. Wonderfully written and totally relevant.”
​
- Sandy Carrol, Memphis-based contemporary blues singer/songwriter
"Standing on deep inquiry, this book is a landmark… a must read for anyone with even a passing interest in the blues. Phenomenal."
​
- Stephen Dale Petit, Musician, New Blues Ambassador and writer
“The Blues - Why It Still Hurts So Good is a breathtakingly complex and beautiful exploration of a musical genre that embodies powerful healing potential for the world. In part, because through Trout’s study of current blues fans, she demonstrates how blues contains a universal language capable of expressing our shared experience and connectedness. The Blues is both groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting in its complexity! She employs a lens that ranges from blues history and blues legends to blues wisdom and the neuroscience of feelings, and how we are affected by a genre that insists on "telling it like it is!" A truly extraordinary musical journey and an important historical, intellectual, and creative contribution to an important genre.”
​
- Belvie Rooks, essayist, educator, and producer
“While there are many good blues artist biographies, we have lacked a concise empirical study of why so many people love the blues. Until now. Marie Trout's groundbreaking book fills that sorely missing gap, and does so in an enlightening and entertaining manner. This is an important book, and an enjoyable read. Anyone who wonders why so many people love the blues, will not only want to own, but to share Marie Trout's The Blues."
​
- Jesse Finkelstein, author, attorney at law, and broadcaster of Blues Radio International
“In her book, The Blues - Why It Still Hurts So Good, Marie Trout adeptly explains to the reader how the music of the blues captivates and then emotionally impacts the listener. Her work is grounded in academic research yet accessible to all, and her theses are made even more impactful by the manner in which she weaves her personal story, as well as that of other blues fans, artists, and professionals, into the narrative. This book is the perfect read for the blues lover who wants to better understand his or her own connection to the music. But I would also strongly recommend it to the music fan who is confused by the passion with which blues lovers are drawn to this specific genre. If each of us could connect to the stirring power of the blues of which she speaks, perhaps we might better identify with each other, or even more, connect with our inner selves to find that peace and healing which we ultimately seek.”
- Barbara B. Newman, President and CEO of the Blues Foundation
"Dr. Trout combines her own experience and the words of fans, musicians and industry professionals to look at the blues in a most professional, unusual and interesting way." LINK
​
- Rhetta Akamatsu, BlogCritics.org
"For an in-depth examination of the blues and blues fans in the present day, The Blues – Why it Still Hurts so Good is an informative must read." LINK
​
-Barry Kerzner, American Blues Scene
"The title of the book, The Blues, Why It Hurts So Good, promises the reader a perspective on the blues genre that breaks the chains of the mantra “Keeping the blues alive.” There is a subliminal suggestion in that oft quoted catch phrase that suggests blues is an anachronism whose very existence as a contemporary theme song for our lives is in jeopardy. Dr. Marie Trout trounces that suggestion and makes the slogan instantly passé. She not only makes good on proving the validity of her title, she also shatters more than one glass ceiling in the process and gives the fan base the promise of a bright future." LINK
​
-Don Wilcock, Blues Blast Magazine
"Author Marie B. Trout, PhD, wife and manager of blues rock guitarist extraordinaire, Walter Trout, knows the blues. She has also lived with the blues when her husband narrowly escaped death, and was saved in the 11th hour by a liver transplant. Now, two years after Walter’s astounding recovery, her original academic research of blues fans has congealed with professional and personal experience into a book about the role of blues music to modern audiences, its impact, and enduring power." LINK
​
- Blues Festival Guide
"It was a miraculous thing when guitar wizard Walter Trout stared death in the eyes and won. Now his wife Marie has written a new book about the healing power of music called The Blues – Why it Still Hurts So Good. The book will be out on Feb. 3 and all proceeds will benefit the Blues Foundation's wonderful Hart Fund. Mrs. Trout has a PhD and based the book on a Grounded Theory research study of blues fans, musicians and industry professionals. She found that beyond providing musical entertainment to its current audience, the blues acts as a good friend that “has your back and doesn’t let you down." Don't we know that to be true?"
​
— Karen Murphy, Chicago Blues News
"I promise to purchase two additional copies of this book. One I will send to my older brother (by four years) and the other copy to my younger sister (by four years). If they read this book they may better understand me." LINK
​
- Richard Ludmerer, Making a Scene
"As a long-time fan of blues music, I instinctively “get” that “Sweet Home Chicago,” “The Thrill is Gone,” and “Dust My Broom” move me. When Eric Clapton and Robbie Robertson were trading leads on “Further On Up the Road” in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, I knew that Bobby “Blue” Bland’s classic blues song transcended geographic, racial and emotional boundaries when I first saw that documentary film in the 1970s. This book does an exceptional job of exploring deep and personal connections between blues music and its fans."
​
— Eric Steiner, Washington Blues Society
"There is much to admire in Dr. Trout’s work. Not the least of which is the ample size of her inquiry. She interviewed more than one thousand blues fans, performers, and industry insiders. There must be something about the blues that invites people to let their guard down; many of those questioned were exceedingly forthcoming with their descriptions of how the music fills needs sometimes left empty in contemporary society. In the end, Dr. Trout paints a portrait of the blues as being one of the most malleable and useful forms of art out there." LINK
​
— Greg Victor, Parcbench.live
"Marie Trout puts both sides of her life and work into her pen for The Blues, Why It Still Hurts So Good. Though the book comes from the psychological side of The Blues, the words come from a musical heart rather than an academic brain." LINK
​
— The Alternate Root
"Like many of you, I’ve often wondered why the blues has had such a broad appeal to so many people from every demographic over so many generations. It touches and speaks like no other genre and has influenced in incalculable ways. Finally, there's an excellent, well researched, intelligently written book that goes a long way in helping us know the answers to this." LINK
​
— Randy Patterson, Boomerocity.com
"This is a remarkable body of research that delivers some very unique explanations of why the blues resonates. Even those of us who have been blues fans throughout our lives can learn much through Marie’s work." LINK
​
— Jim Hynes, Elmore Magazine
"This is a must read for anyone wanting to know what to say to the friend or relative who asks why are you listening to all that sad music?"
​
— Don Wilcock, Blues Music Magazine
"Many of the things that I read in Dr. Trout’s book made me nod my head in agreement, but there were others that had never occurred to me, even considering the thought I had put into it over time. I really enjoyed how she combined the academic aspects of the study with the personal reflections from fans, artists, and even the Trouts’ own perspective. This is a very interesting and revealing book that will be of interest to any blues fan who has wondered why they’re drawn to this music." LINK
​
— Graham Clarke, Blues Bytes