Books in the Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life, sponsored by Texas A&M University-Commerce series

The twentieth century has seen two great waves of African American migration from rural areas into the city, changing not only the country's demographics but also black culture. In her thorough study of migration to Houston, Bernadette Pruitt portrays the move from rural to urban homes in Jim Crow Houston as a form of black activism and resistance to racism.

Based on extensive oral history interviews and archival research, Texas Jazz Singer recalls both the glamour and the challenges of life on the road and onstage during the golden age of swing and beyond.