Product Description
Here is a collection of familiar folk tunes arranged in folk and bluegrass style for five string banjo. They are of moderate difficulty and are presented in just a few basic keys. Book is MB #93332. ... Read more

Product Description
Southern Music/American Music is the first book to investigate the facets of American music from the South and the many popular forms that emerged from it. In this substantially revised and updated edition, Bill C. Malone and David Stricklin bring this classic work into the twenty-first century, including new material on recent phenomena such as the huge success of the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the renewed popularity of Southern music, as well as important new artists Lucinda Williams, Alejandro Escovedo, and the Dixie Chicks, among others. Extensive bibliographic notes and a new suggested listening guide complete this essential study. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Essential Reading on American Music
The updated version of this important study is a welcome addition to the history of American popular music.Each chapter is a thorough overview of various genres and eras of folk and popular music in America.The central claim that most of what we perceive to be American music is deeply rooted in the music of America's southland is a strong one, and it adds to our understanding of connections between regional culture and history.The excellent discography provides a terrific guide to important musicians and recordings, and the new information on Cajun, Zydeco, Norteno, and contemporary acoustic music update the earlier edition. ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing American Folk Music examines folk and closely related grassroots music, such as gospel, western swing, and folk-rock.The book covers the diverse strains of American folk music - Latin, Native American, African, French-Canadian and Cajun - and offers a chronology of the development of folk music in the United States. ... Read more

Product Description
For years fiddlers and folklorists have prized the old-time fiddle tunes from Kentucky. Many of the most outstanding country music artists hail from the state, including Bill Monroe, widely regarded as the founder of bluegrass music. Even Aaron Copland lifted, note-for-note, a Kentucky fiddler’s performance of “Bonaparte’s Retreat” for the “Hoedown” section of his ballet Rodeo.

That tune and nearly 200 others are transcribed here, most for the first time. They are taken from recordings of Kentucky fiddlers, many of whom were born before 1900, practitioners of a style of playing now extremely rare. Jeff Todd Titon places the tunes in their historical context, provides biographical sketches of the performers, and offers suggestions for contemporary fiddlers who want to use the book for performance. A compact disc of recordings is also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A great addition to your music library
This is a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in regional fiddling styles, musician or non-musician.As a fiddler, this appeals to me personally, of course.I've wanted to own this book for some time, and I was glad to find it still available for sale.The included CD is an invaluable resource if you are looking for more insight or inspiration. The written word and the written music alone simply can not convey the spirit of this music, these players, or the context in which these tunes are / were played.Absolutely timeless music!

Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes
Written with a thorough appreciation for the subject matter....great tune selections, Many with a history of the piece and accompanying CD versions.

Indispensable Resource for Fiddlers
This is an indispensable resource for people interested in the fiddling traditions of Kentucky. It includes transcriptions of 170 tunes from a number of Kentucky fiddlers, some well-known (relatively speaking) and some rather obscure. The tunes also run the gamut of familiar (Arkansas Traveler) to obscure (Cotton Bonnet, Pick a Little Cotton and Spin Some Too, and many many other examples). Transcription alone may not be enough to convey the sound and feeling of the tunes so Titon has included a CD with this volume which is a selection of tunes from the book played by the source fiddlers. I wish Titon had included more tunes on this CD as it only covers a few of the 170 tunes in the book. However, for those who wish to locate more of the source tunes, there is a great resource where one can download many of them for this book (but certainly not all). It is the Digital Library of Appalachia (do a Google search and you will find it). Here you can search for a tune or fiddler and download MP3's for free. Much of Titon's book is based on field recordings done by folklorists like Bruce Greene and John Harrod, and these people have donated their recordings to the various libraries involved in the Digital Library project. For example, one can download the complete home recordings of Kentucky fiddler John Salyer on this website-- this includes all the Salyer tunes in Titon's volume and many more that are not transcribed in his book.

In my experience not all of the transcriptions exactly match the source tunes, but Titon admits in the introduction it is nearly impossible to fully capture a fiddler's setting for a tune on the written page.This is true, and I use this resource as a companion to the source tunes to clarify certain passages when needed and learn the tunes primarily by listening to them.Titon's transcriptions are clean and simple, and he does not muddy the page with a lot of prescribed bowing patterns-- he allows the fiddler to interpret the transcription and come up with his/her own bowing patterns for the tunes.

Each tune has a brief history printed below the transcription along with a list of other fiddlers who have recorded the tune (published and unpublished versions) and other books where the tune has been transcribed.
This volume also includes an excellent introduction on the evolution of old-time fiddling in Kentucky and the various tune types that have evolved in Kentucky (Titon outlines 3 different types distinguished by region).Titon includes a capsule biography section that gives a brief bio on each of the fiddlers whose tunes are transcribed in the book and in many cases a photo of the fiddler.

Overall, this is a great resource and learning tool for fiddlers and others interested in Appalachian fiddling traditions. It is in my opinion one of the best (if not the best) books on the subject of Appalachian fiddling. Highly recommended!

must have for any fiddler's library
This is a terrific book for anyone who loves old time fiddle music.Easy to read transcriptions ofsome differentregional styles, including references to field recordings and other artists.The back of the book features biograpies of important Kentucky fiddlers with many great old photos.

Then, if you really want to know what this stuff sounds like... there is a cd included which is guaranteed to inspire you to play or just go to Kentucky as I did.

not that great
Maybe my expectations for this book were off base. The book has 170 fiddle tunes and also alot of historical and geographical references of where in Kentucky they originated from. I see that the book was funded in part by grants and it does read like alot of Masters Theses and grant proposals that I've encounted. Which is to say I think it's packaged well but also has alot of b.s. in there. I wouldn't recommend this book especially if if you want to learn some fiddle tunes, which gets back to the fact that maybe I was expecting something else altogether. On the cd there's 26 of the 170 tunes and only 9 of these are in standard tuning. Also the pitch is often way off and the transcription don't seem to jibe either. The better thing to do is just forget about the transcription and try and fiddle along. In this repect there are some pretty interesting recordings. What this book is mainly is a reference book so if you want to learn some fiddle tunes I'd say to spend your money on something else such as the Fiddler's Magazine Favorites book which comes with 2 cds and all the tunes accuratly transcribed. I don't see it on Amazon but Fiddlers Magazine puts it out ... Another good book is the Advanced Fiddling Book by Craig Duncan. It does get pretty advanced but some of the tunes are more beginning and intermediate. Also not on Amazon from what I can see but I think it's through Mel Bay. Mel Bay's Complete Fiddling Book, also by Duncan (and available thru Amazon) has some good beginning to intermediate tunes but the video which must be ordered seperatly through Mel Bay doesn't have all that many of the 300 tunes in the book so if you want a recorded rendition this is a problem as only about 10% of the tunes are on the video. What it does have though is good. Again I can see how the other reviewers gave this Kentucky Fiddle Tunes book 5 stars because it's a nice package and a decent reference book but you better be into altered tunings quite a bit... Anyway there's no way I'd tell a friend it was anything above 2 stars. ... Read more

Product Description
Capturing a time when music was an integral part of life,this richly illustrated book documents, in revealing photographs andevocative descriptions, the wide variety of musical styles of theAmerican South.Photos and text drawn from the archives of theLibrary of Congress, the Smithsonian, and rarely seen privatecollections focus on life from the 1850s to World War II. Emphasizinghow music was a part of daily life-at home for dancing and recreation,in church for worship and ceremony, on the job as an accompaniment towork-the book celebrates the vitality of the American South's musicallife. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Only OK
Expecting great things, I was frankly a little disappoined in this book. There are unpublished photos that are interesting, but the graphic quality of many of the reproductions is only fair. I found more than a few innacuracies regarding the instruments and dates. The text is frankly uninspiring. If you are an amatuer ethnomusicoligist as I am, it is one to keep on the shelf for reference that is true, but as a definitive work it is sorely lacking. I also found it to be surprisingly short. Given the breadth and depth of the subject, the paucity of the text and photos is alarming. So, for me it was OK but not really a top shelf choice.

Worth buying for the photos
I love the photos in this book. Large black and white photos of earlybands in the south. Clear picutes of early insturments and band members andtheir clothing. There was one photo I've seen before--the one of the Cajuncouple--but most of the others were fresh photos that I had not seen. There is a text history of Southern Country music--but this book is worthbuying for the historical photos alone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A fine reference book
This sizable book (900+ pages) is not the most up to date production in town (no biography of Garth Brooks here), but if you want a book that gives the history of many famous & not so famous country musicians, then I recommend this.

I can't open it to read about one artists without spending an hour in the book as I get absorbed reading about someone I've never heard of or forgot about.

The biographies are complete. Maybe the discographies are a little bit sketchy & in some cases incomplete or even incorrect, but it is my experience of such reference works that they all miss something out or get something wrong.

I'd certainly recommend this for someone who does want a little (a lot!) more than just what is on country radio at present.

Old-fashioned, but good guide to hick music
A massive book which has in many ways been superceded by other, later works.It's a bit bulky, with a layoutwhich is a bit flat.Still, it includes entries on some artists which other guides may omit; the discographies are a bit suspect, though, particularly when it comes to little things like getting the titles right.You could opt for the newer, sexier country guides, but this one still has something to offer, particularly the longer, more narrative biographical entries. ... Read more

Product Description
Few people can refute the influence of music on society. Country Music Comin' Home gives an overview of the Country-music industry and its return to traditional family and moral values. Author James C. Hefley recounts the history and the people that have made Country music into a worldwide phenomenon. From Jimmie Rogers to Randy Travis, from The Wabash Cannonball; to Forever and Ever, Amen, from Nashville to Branson. Hefley illustrates how Country music has permeated society for generations. Hefley maintains that the heart of traditional Country music lies in the simple, life-sustaining faith of the people. Born in choir lofts and town halls across rural America, Country music is part of our national heritage, he writes. In these pages, readers will find the tears and the talents, the tragedies and triumphs of the stars who are bringing Country music back full circle to speak to people's simple faith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Country Music Comin' Home
This book is an okay book.Since I have done extensive research on the Wilburn Brothers, I noticed some inaccurate information written about Teddy Wilburn.However, the book covers some interesting information about a lot of country music artists.

A must for any country music lover
I read this quite a number of years ago and pulled it out to re-read. A definite book work having and keeping. I'd rather buy a new one for family to experience and keep my own copy handy. I loved it. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on extensive archival research and oral history, Michael Ann Williams's "Staging Tradition" traces the parallel careers of the creators of the Renfro Valley Barn Dance and the National Folk Festival. Through their devotion to staging of traditional culture, including folk, country, and bluegrass music, John Lair (1894-1985) and Sarah Gertrude Knott (1895-1984) became two of the mid-twentieth century's most notable producers. Lair and Knott's discovery of new developments in theatre and entertainment during the 1920s led them to the producing careers that fed their own needs to be centre stage. Inspired by programs such as WLS's "Barn Dance" and the success of early folk events, Lair began promoting Kentucky musicians and Knott staged her own radically inclusive festival, which included Native and African American traditions, and continues today as the National Folk Festival. Through extensive original research, Williams shows how Lair and Knott fed the public's fascination with the "art of the common man," and were in turn buffeted by cultural forces that developed around and beyond them. ... Read more

Product Description
In the last century, authors and psychologists like Robert Graves, Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell reminded us that folklore is often full of deep symbolic truths, truths that the 'folk' themselves are usually unaware of. And they also taught us - just as Plato did, 2400 years ago -- that myth and folklore constitute a 'philosophical' language, where images (as in dreams, holy icons, and symbolic poetry) can carry a great burden of meaning. Few seem to realize, however, that certain works of art conventionally considered to be unconscious products of the 'folk imagination' were quite consciously and deliberately constructed, by highly-informed individuals, to transmit specific items of spiritual lore. Among these 'few' was Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, who said:The content of folklore is metaphysical. Our failure to recognize this is primarily due to our own abysmal ignorance of metaphysics and of its technical terms.. The true folklorist must be not so much a psychologist as a theologian and metaphysician, if he is to 'understand his material'..Traditional man lived in a natural environment he could read like a book - a book written in primordial symbols of Divine Reality (the Sun, the Rain, the Mountain, the Eagle) - as well as in a man-made environment that was in large part deliberately constructed to remind him of that Reality, and teach him the nature of it (just as our own human world, with its 'weapons of mass distraction', seems ingeniously contrived to make us forget it). Through song, dance, gesture, poetry, architecture, proverbs, jokes, riddles, stories, games, toys, medicine, painting, sculpture, weapons, tools, scriptures, sacred rites, and the traditional forms and rhythms of daily life, we were always in the presence of reminders of the Sacred; all fingers (or almost all) pointed to the Moon.That deliberately-constructed sacred environment is now largely a thing of the past. Dedicated artists may work to keep traditional arts and crafts alive, but the cultural context that could reveal their relevance and tap their spiritual power is usually missing; even the 'folk memory' itself has now largely been replaced by the Internet. However, it is still possible to approach ancient artistic constructions, like the traditional ballads which are the subject of this book, in spiritually fruitful ways. The great myths, such as are transmitted by certain 'folk' songs, were received in the Age of Revelation -- now, however, we live in the Age of Exegesis. As the profound meanings of these songs are unwrapped, they escape from our hands like freed birds, back to the Source they came from. And they challenge us to follow them. ... Read more

Product Description
This book makes available the wealth of data contained in "Cash Box's" country album charts over a 25-year period. The information, previousy available only through a search of the weekly charts themselves, has been completely integrated and accessed via artist and album title entries. This compilation contains many features not found in any other reference tool of its type. In addition to its wide time span of coverage, most notable is the week-by-week listing of album-chart positions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent reference book
An excellent reference book on the chart activity of albums ranked on the Country LP charts in Cash Box Magazine. Entries include artist, title, catalog no., chart date, and week-by-week position on the chart. A section at the back shows the number one LPs for each week. You won't find any information on the artists themselves, but this is nevertheless an excellent resource for record collectors, discographers, and chart fanatics. Recommended as an addition to the Joel Whitburn Billboard books but not necessarily as a substitute. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

country music pioneer & funny lady
I happened to read The Stonemans: An Appalachian Family and the Music That Shaped Their Lives (Music in American Life) by Ivan M. Tribe (1993) a great book about this epic family of country music. The star of that book was Roni Stoneman, especially the stories of her bad luck with men. So I devoured this book, which is a nice companion to Tribe's masterwork. The stories are harrowing and funny and you will be reading parts of it out loud. Plus, she knew everybody in country music when they were nobodies. But she's no saint, and she discusses her own failings with a little bit of retrospection. Lots of new words appear in this book -- her family was "pooristic" for example. Makes you want to hear her banjer playin'.

A Living History of Appalachian Music
Sometimes "as told to" is a euphemism for "ghost written by."This is clearly not the case with the felicitous collaboration between storyteller-musician Roni Stoneman and writer, Ellen Wright in Pressing On.Roni is the daughter of the legendary Ernest Stoneman, who among other accomplishments organized the Bristol Sessionsthat in 1927 recorded musical greats including the Carter family and Jimmie Rogers.Roni's life story is also a story of Appalachian music in American culture.She is a virtuoso banjo player, an actress and a natural storyteller.In Roni's oral tradition, every story she knows connects to every other.Ellen Wright adroitly brings out Roni's narrative voice in a way that makes sense to the reader, while remaining true to the oral tradition.Pressing On a good read as well as being the amazing history of an America that has largely passed from lived experience into history.Together, Roni and Ellen bring that history back to life.

Pressing On
The clash of Roni's abundant innocence with the wild world fills the book with drama.Her spirit and humor are on display even during relatively horrible episodes in her life.She is a clever observer of her colleagues from the country music scene, and of herself.Highly recommended!

3 Stars as a Musical Autobiography.4 as a Women's Journey Book
This book is written in a conversational autobiography and has thestrengths and limitation of this genre.This can provide a more told too feeling than stories rewritten by a "ghost writer" rather then transcribed.An excellent example of this is found in the autobiography of Bluesman Honeyboy Edwards. With the use of written dialect you can feel Honeyboy is is the room with you , swapping tales.I expect this autobiography was similarly written, but with more editing.
This book is a map of a Women's Journeyfilled with hardship and abuse.As such, I would give it four stars, but I had hope for a more detailed musical autobiography than provided . When she discussed the Stoneman Family we are treated to the tragic life of her brother, and the poverty of the family rather than a discussion of their music.For this information there is Ivan Tribe's book on the Stonesman's, but I had hoped for more of an "inside" look at her days with the family and her solo career. When she does give us some information it is usually within a core story of abuse or being taken advantage of as in the case of her time with "Hee Haw."
Depending on what story you want to read about this book is recommended or not. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Warner Collection
This book is a must for anyone interested in American folksongs. It ranks right up there with the Lomax, Beldon, Hunter, and Randolph collections. It may be hard to find, and a bit pricey, but well worth the effort. I'd give it ten stars if the rating would go that high. You will enjoy this collection.
Michael Breid, a.k.a.Arkansas Red-Ozark Troubadour
Ozark Mountains, Arkansas

I can't believe what an incredible book this is.
You may go to this book to find out about the Warner's fascinatingsong-collecting trips begun in western North Carolina in 1938 and lastinginto the 1960s, but you'll find an amazing repertoire of songs waiting tobe sung.

Tom Dooley is the song Frank Proffitt sang to the Warners longago. The Kingston Trio heard Frank Warner sing it in the 1950s and made ittheir signature song. But it is only one of hundreds of songs that theworld is waiting to hear.

Read the words of rural America in the voice ofLee Monroe Presnell, Yankee John Galusha or Grammy Fish. These are singersthe Lomaxes would have spent a lot of tape on.

The songs themselves wouldbe enough, but this is a book full of Anne Warner's scholarship andthoughtful treatment of her subject. Frank Warner's photographs will takeyou to a far off place. ... Read more

Product Description
Winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award, "Bluegrass Breakdown" is an expansive foray into the makings of bluegrass. More than any other book of its kind, it gets to the roots of a uniquely American music that is deeply linked to working-class ideals and romanticism. Robert Cantwell engages the historical background, commercial origins, internal workings, and cultural and social significance of popular, old-time music to provide a unique musicological and sociological perspective. Well versed in the history of the tradition and equally as interested in those who listen to the music as in those who create it, Cantwell links bluegrass to its hillbilly roots in Appalachia and shows how the music was transformed by African American folk traditions, the influence of jazz, ragtime, blues, and country music, and the growth of radio and recording technology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

An essential book for to know American Music neds 20 stars
If you study American traditional musics of any kind, if you play bluegrass, if you want to know what country music is, or if you are concerned with what African American or Southern music is, this is the book you have to own. I am still in the middle of reading this book, but every chapter on its own makes me wish I had read, reread, and studied this book the day it came out, not a decade or two later.This is an essential book for serious knowledge of music in America, not just Bluegrass.

Frankly, I have been negatively impressed by many of the books on Bluegrass which seem to focus on stories of artists, rather than analysis of the music. Cantwell provides one of the best studies of any form of folk or popular music written so far either on a popular or scholarly basis. What he explains here about the nature of African based and African American music and its difference from European and European American music here alone is worth the price. Like much serious work, the book has passages that are hard to understand if you are not familiar with music.

Yet, if you read his analysis of how bluegrass has evolved as an African-based music, you can understand the dynamics of producing a hot, working bluegrass band and arranging the music.You can understand why Monroe and Scruggs created magic that millions of people have followed since they got together in the mid 1940s.

There is one exception I would take with Cantwell. He based his knowledge of banjo history on what was known when he wrote the book. He had the assistance of my friend and colleague Bob Winans who then believed most of the transmission of banjo playing to Southern and mountain white folk came through the white minstrel shows. Subsequent research, especially the work of Cece Conway, has shown that transmission to Southern white players came from Black banjo players themselves, much more than the minstrels, something that everyone today including Bob Winans agrees with.

This accentuates the general thesis that Cantwell puts forward, how ingredients of African American music styles are essential to contributing to Bluegrass.Certainly in the banjo music, Scruggs who largely learned from and grew up listening to banjoists who played the classic banjo style, added in the thumbing of the original African American drop thumb clawhammer to classic picking and created the roles that Cantwell shows are essential to Bluegrass syncopation. Given that the Carolina Piedmont where Earl grew up was one of the last strongholds of Black folk banjo playing, this kind of transmission is clear.

That is not to say as some well intentioned but miss informed folks might say that Scruggs stole a Black style. What is more important as Cantwell explains, is the overall atmosphere that Bluegrass arose in where Black influenced music in the forms of Ragtime, Jazz, and Blues was in the air of music makers across the country, particulrly in the areas in the South where Bluegrass was born.

In this regard, Cantwell well-researched and clear examples of the mixtures of music that define not only Bluegrass but the entire process of American music's confrontations between European and African music.

As a writer and a teacher of writing, I am really impressed with Cantwell's prose. The opening chapter which is a portrait of MR. MONROE
and band mates like Kenny Baker at a DC concert 30 years ago is one of the best portraits of Big Mon I have read.

Again those used to personal biographies and fan fair stuff as music history rather than serious studies may find this more serious reading than they are used to. But to understand important and complicated things, you need real answers.This Cantwell provides in abundance.

Breakdown in Academia
In his Preface, Robert Cantwell tells us that this book is addressed to "a former academic colleague, a tepid, retiring gentleman who...through a third party...suggested that if I wished to advance in the academic world I should probably not write about bluegrass at all."

Unfortunately, in his quest to prove that bluegrass is a fit subject for serious investigation, what we end up with is a rather dense treatise that is just flat out lame in places.

For example, in describing the scene backstage at a country music show in Maryland in 1977, the author sees fit to comment on country great Jack Greene's "beer belly" and Jeanie Seeley's "peach-like rump and insistent breasts," but conveniently fails to mention the hideous, unkempt sideburns Bill Monroe sported during the same period. (In fairness, if Professor Cantwell's musical education had included the live LP, "Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours-Hittin'the Road," which contains Jack Greene's outstanding vocal on "Afraid to Care," chances are he would have arrived at more balanced view of Bill Monroe versus all other Opry stars.)

Other puzzling observations abound, especially in his "technical" discussions of this or that musical type. For example, on page 108 he tells us that "bluegrass is more strictly bound by song structure than jazz," which is not true. Jazz is every bit as song-bound as bluegrass: it's just more advance harmonically. And if the listener knows the song in advance (e.g., Thelonious Monks' "Ruby My Dear"), he or she will have no trouble following the changes, regardless of how much improvising is going on. Later, we are told that "improvisation can be carefully planned out in practice and carried out in performance," which strikes me as a contradiction in terms (if it's planned out in advance, how can it be called improvisation?).

There are minor irritations, too, such as the misspelling of jazz violinist StephaneGrappelli's first and last name, which makes the reader wonder just how familiar the author is with his subject.

Anyway, if you're looking for a good general overview of bluegrass, I recommend "Bluegrass: A History" by Neil Rosenberg. Rosenberg's book is highly comprehensive without being "technical." In my opinion, a good "technical" book about bluegrass is yet to be written.

It's that good
Someday maybe someone will write The Greatest Bluegrass Book Ever. Until then, this is the one.OK, it's not perfect...there are twenty-odd sentences (scattered about like annoying but harmless litter) that date the book.Otherwise, the love for and insight into the music is timeless.I was surprised to find myself in a state of breathlessness after reading some of the passages.It's that good.

"Academic psycho-drivel"??
I get the impression from several of the reviews I've read here that the posters frown on the academic study of bluegrass.This book certainly isn't for everyone.No book HAS to please an audience, nor does every book HAVE to be interesting from cover to cover. Cantwell does have a tendency to ramble at some points, but the information contained in this book is still worth the read.

Bluegrass Breakdown is a book for those interested in bluegrass from an ethnomusicological standpoint.Cantwell advances interesting theories regarding the African contribution to bluegrass to how bluegrass is identifiable through its use of the characteristic "high lonesome wail".Cantwell's goal here is clearly to explore cultural attributes and effects of bluegrass, and this is something I believe he does well. If you're looking for a book that's an easy to read, tail-wagging history of bluegrass, go for Cantwell's colleague Neil Rosenberg.Cantwell isn't your man.

Cantwell's writing is purely academic, again a style of writing that isn't for everyone.I don't believe Cantwell goes out of his way to discuss his bluegrass performance merits or intellect here. I found Cantwell's inquiries mostly unbiased and thorough, including those dealing with Bill Monroe.I don't believe Cantwell went out of his way to point out Monroe's 'hypocrisies' on any level, rather he constructed his writing to portray Monroe as a paradox, a 'mystery' man who's very hard to explain in the space of a few pages.

For all his interesting theories, Cantwell loses a star for stereotyping.His description of "Appalachian folk" at the Grand Ole Opry as "plain", "overweight" and "lacking in proper dental hygiene" (the book was published in '86) is annoying.This may be a part of Cantwell's research experience, however it's a cheap shot at a blanket statement about an entire culture of people.I thought good researchers were trained to avoid this kind of writing.Other than that, this book is something definitely worth the read ... particularly if you're up for the challenge.

Seems like no love for the music
There are some things you've got to know to love, and other things you've got to love to know. Bluegrass music is one of the latter. And I get the feeling that, while the author clearly knows quite a lot ABOUT bluegrass music, he doesn't KNOW bluegrass music. (By the way, I say this knowing full well that Cantwell is a bluegrass player himself. I hate to say it, but this is clearly the impression I get.) He treats it, very skillfully, as a sociologist treats some group of people he's studying and perhaps has lived with, but internally feels disdain for.

I got this feeling the most clearly in Cantwell's discussion of two important areas: Bill Monroe and gospel music. About Monroe, Cantwell seems to delight in pointing out his shortcomings and hypocracies. Everybody admits that he had both. But what doesn't come out in this book is Monroe's love for the music, for the people, and for the lifestyle that the music comes out of. Sure, what neither Monroe nor Earl Scruggs did was truly original; but the fact that they popularized it and shared it with millions of others (yes, making money along the way) doesn't make them evil people.

Even worse is Cantwell's treatment of gospel music. I came away from the book with the distinct feeling that most bluegrass musicians use gospel music as a tool to dupe the suckers, and play it not so they can "use their Bible as a road map" but as a cash cow. While I admit that there are no doubt some bluegrass musicians who so use it (but who am I to judge their hearts?), it has been my experience that at least some bluegrass musicians I play with feel gospel songs deeply. We sing and play gospel music to express how we really feel about God, and we want to share that with others. In other words, when I play gospel music my goal is truly to share not only the gospel but also the Gospel. Perhaps that wasn't Cantwell's experience, but it is mine.

In summary, this book is very learned, and the author clearly knows a lot and expresses it skillfully, but it leaves you feeling completely flat and uninterested about the music. If you're looking for a critical book that helps you know many facts about bluegrass music, this is it.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a book that helps you to both know bluegrass music and to love it better, I would suggest instead reading "Bluegrass: A History" by Neil V. Rosenberg. Rosenberg is a guy who not only knows his subject well (the book being apparently just as well researched and painstakingly footnoted as Cantwell's) but Rosenberg clearly has the kind of love for the music and the people that it seems Cantwell lacks. Rosenberg's book is the kind you treasure and re-read.
... Read more

Product Description
Spanning over 1,000 separate performances, "The Music of Bill Monroe" presents a complete chronological list of all of Bill Monroe's commercially released sound and visual recordings. Each chapter begins with a narrative describing Monroe's life and career at that point, bringing in producers, sidemen, and others as they become part of the story. The narratives read like a "who's who" of bluegrass, connecting Monroe to the music's larger history and containing many fascinating stories. The second part of each chapter presents the discography. Information here includes the session's place, date, time, and producer; master/matrix numbers, song/tune titles, composer credits, personnel, instruments, and vocals; catalog/release numbers and reissue data. The only complete bio-discography of this American musical icon, "The Music of Bill Monroe" is the starting point for any study of Monroe's contributions as a composer, interpreter, and performer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

ExcellentResource
I can't say enough about the thoroughness and accuracy of this important work. It will be on my reference shelf for many years to come!

father of blue grass represented well
well done book on the father of bluegrass and his songs, with a good timeline to how events occurred

The Music of Big Mon in fine detail
I just got my long awaited copy of the new Neil Rosenberg/Charles Wolfe book "The Music of Bill Monroe" and to my utmost sincere disappointment there was not one photo except the paper cover photo of Monroe. While the 350 fine print pages will be some great reading I was really expecting hundreds of rare unpublished photos of Monroe over the decades like Neil had done in his long out of print 1974 Monore Discography.It was my understanding the new book was just an update from the '74 paperback with more photos. What I've read so far is very informative and entertaining.
With the late Charles Wolfe involved in the project there is a lot more insight into the details of Monroe's music but you would think between those two world reknowned authors they could have put in a dozen pages or so of photos of the various Bluegrass Boys, photos of LP and EP covers,advertisments, promotional photos of Monore over the years to coincide along with the recording details. While I really am disappointed of the lack of photos I will just have to live with the attitude that anything new Monroe is better than nothing at all. I would assume this book will be avaiable in paperback in a few years. Heafty $35 price will scare away the meger fans with the lack of photos. True Monroe diehards will want this one. A must read if you want to get into the real Bluegrass music and it's creator. How about a 300 page follow up of the "Life of Bill Monroe in Photo" to make up for this one not having any photos! ... Read more

Product Description
This book, and its twin Backpocket Old-Time Songbook, are great collections of old-time and bluegrass songs complete with musical notation, histories, vintage photos, guitar chords, and even singing tips. Great for singers and those who play guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, autoharp, dulcimer, or would like to! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Song, words, melody and some story
This book is broken down into the types of songs that are normally in bluegrass!It is funny and insightful.On each page you'll find the song, words, melody and a little bit of background story surrounding the song, artist or time period.

A good book and wide enough for a back pocket, although the height will make sure you never keep it there.Fits conveniently into instrument cases however.

Inexpensive but highly informative
Native Ground Books & Music is an impressive niche publisher of books and recording in the genre of historic American music, folklore, and cookbooks. One example of their outstanding work in the field of American popular music is their 'Backpocket' series of inexpensive but highly informative booklets by music historian Wayne Erbsen showcasing two distinctive fields of American music. "Backpocket Bluegrass Song Book" has the words and music for forty traditional bluegrass tunes. ... Read more

Product Description
In Lockhart, Texas, a rural working-class town just south of Austin, country music is a way of life. Conversation slips easily into song, and the songs are full of conversation. Anthropologist and musician Aaron A. Fox spent years in Lockhart making research notes, music, and friends. In Real Country, he provides an intimate, in-depth ethnography of the community and its music. Showing that country music is deeply embedded in the textures of working-class life, Fox argues that it is the cultural and intellectual property of working-class people and not only of the Nashville-based music industry or the stars whose lives figure so prominently in popular and scholarly writing about the genre.

Fox has spent hundreds of hours observing, recording, and participating in talk and music-making in beer joints, garage jam sessions, and trailer homes. He renders the everyday life of Lockhart’s working-class community in detail, right down to the ice cold beer, the battered guitars, and the technical skills of such local musical legends as Randy Meyer and Larry "Hoppy" Hopkins. Throughout, Fox focuses on the human voice. His analyses of conversations, interviews, songs, and vocal techniques show how feeling and experience are expressed, and how local understandings of place, memory, musical aesthetics, working-class social history, race, and gender are shared. In Real Country, working-class Texans re-imagine their past and give voice to the struggles and satisfactions of their lives in the present through music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Buy this book!
If you read one book about country music, this is the one you should read. Fox's brilliant analysis sidesteps the whole Nashville-Dollywood-Branson commericial thing to explore how working class people in rural Texas and Illinois use country music to express their senses of self and their aesthetic and cultural values. The way he writes about the singing voice and the way he incorporates the character of the people he studied with into his presentation is about the best I've seen. Why only four stars, you ask? Well.....It can get a little dense sometimes - he has a theoretical point to make about music and culture, and he is after all a scholar (teaches in the music department at Columbia University). But bear with that and you'll be very happy you did. If you love country music, read this book. ... Read more