As honest and no-nonsense as the artist herself, Always the Queen is LaSalle's in-her-own-words story of a lifetime in music. Moving to Chicago as a teen, LaSalle launched a career in gospel and blues that eventually led to the chart-topping 1971 smash "Trapped by a Thing Called Love" and a string of R&B hits. She reinvented herself as a soul-blues artist as tastes changed and became a headliner on the revitalized southern soul circuit and at festivals nationwide and overseas. Revered for a tireless dedication to her music and fans, LaSalle continued to tour and record until shortly before her death.
| Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Prelude: "Far Away Places" 1. Mississippi Girl 2. Music and Life Lessons 3. "There's Got to Be a Better World Somewhere" 4. "That Was God Talking to You!" 5. "Mama Says It's in My Blood!" 6. The Road to "Trapped"—and Stardom 7. Dreams Come True 8. Going through Changes 9. "One Life to Live . . . Let's Live It Together" 10. A New Label and a New Era 11. Steppin' In on Some Down Home Blues 12. Cry of the Black Soul 13. Still the Queen 14. God Don't Make Mistakes Coda: "Speak to God on My Behalf" A Note on the Text Index Back cover | A Chicago Sun-Times Must-Read Book — A Chicago Sun-Times Must-Read Book|
Denise LaSalle (1934–2018) was a soul and blues singer-songwriter and businesswoman. Her songs include "Trapped by a Thing Called Love," "Married, but Not to Each Other," and the modern-day soul-blues standards "A Lady in the Street," "Don't Jump My Pony," and "Someone Else Is Steppin' In." LaSalle entered the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2015. David Whiteis is a journalist, writer, and educator living in Chicago. His books include Blues Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Chicago and Southern Soul-Blues.
