Sweet, Hot and Blue gives lives and careers of 124 musicians whose styles range from jazz to classical and who were born in St. Louis or in the surrounding area. The research includes 57 original personal interviews with the artists. Each person's entry gives stage nicknames, date and place of birth, and biographical highlights. The main emphasis is on band affiliations, club and concert performance dates, and recording credits. The glossary of 186 terms, from axe (an individual's instrument) to woodshed (practice to keep up one's skills), explains some of the slang used in the interviews.