Sandra B. Tooze

Sandra B. Tooze is an award-winning music biographer, editor, and blues historian. She is the author of Muddy Waters: The Mojo Man, which received international acclaim and was named Best Biography of 1997 by Real Blues magazine, featuring a foreword by Eric Clapton and endorsements from Mick Jagger and Levon Helm. Her work on Muddy Waters led to her selection as keynote speaker honoring him at the Masters of American Music conference, co-sponsored by Case Western Reserve University and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tooze is also the author of LEVON: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of the Band and Beyond (Diversion Books), which received enthusiastic reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, MOJO, and Modern Drummer, and featured a back-cover blurb from President Bill Clinton. A former senior production editor at Penguin Random House Canada and co-owner of a blues record label, Tooze brings unmatched editorial rigor and musical insight to her work. She has also served as a longtime reviewer for Maple Blues magazine and remains deeply embedded in the blues and roots-music community.