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Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Contemporary popular music > Country & western

Never Look at the Empty Seats - A Memoir (Hardcover): Charlie Daniels Never Look at the Empty Seats - A Memoir (Hardcover)
Charlie Daniels
R668 R558 Discovery Miles 5 580 Save R110 (16%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The Incredible Story of a Country Music Legend Few artists have left a more indelible mark on America's musical landscape than Charlie Daniels. Readers will experience a soft, personal side of Charlie Daniels that has never before been documented. In his own words, he presents the path from his post-depression childhood to performing for millions as one of the most successful country acts of all time and what he has learned along the way. The book also includes insights into the many musicians that orbited Charlie's world, including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette and many more. Charlie was officially inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, shortly before his 80th birthday. He now shares the inside stories, reflections, and rare personal photographs from his earliest days in the 1940s to his self-taught guitar and fiddle playing high school days of the fifties through his rise to music stardom in the seventies, eighties and beyond. Charlie Daniels presents a life lesson for all of us regardless of profession: "Walk on stage with a positive attitude. Your troubles are your own and are not included in the ticket price. Some nights you have more to give than others, but put it all out there every show. You're concerned with the people who showed up, not the ones who didn't. So give them a show and...Never look at the empty seats!"

Unlikely Angel - The Songs of Dolly Parton (Hardcover): Lydia R. Hamessley Unlikely Angel - The Songs of Dolly Parton (Hardcover)
Lydia R. Hamessley; Foreword by Steve Buckingham
R2,877 Discovery Miles 28 770 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Dolly Parton's success as a performer and pop culture phenomenon has overshadowed her achievements as a songwriter. But she sees herself as a songwriter first, and with good reason. Parton's compositions like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" have become American standards with an impact far beyond country music. Lydia R. Hamessley's expert analysis and Parton's characteristically straightforward input inform this comprehensive look at the process, influences, and themes that have shaped the superstar's songwriting artistry. Hamessley reveals how Parton's loving, hardscrabble childhood in the Smoky Mountains provided the musical language, rhythms, and memories of old-time music that resonate in so many of her songs. Hamessley further provides an understanding of how Parton combines her cultural and musical heritage with an artisan's sense of craft and design to compose eloquent, painfully honest, and gripping songs about women's lives, poverty, heartbreak, inspiration, and love. Filled with insights on hit songs and less familiar gems, Unlikely Angel covers the full arc of Dolly Parton's career and offers an unprecedented look at the creative force behind the image.

Pele and Their Music: The Story Behind the Story of Country Music (Paperback): John Rice Irwin Pele and Their Music: The Story Behind the Story of Country Music (Paperback)
John Rice Irwin
R935 R748 Discovery Miles 7 480 Save R187 (20%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The story behind the story of American country music goes back to Appalachian roots and the people who sang for local audiences and early radios in the early 20th century. No matter what you call the songs now--country, folk, traditional, old-time, hillbilly, and bluegrass--it is the music of a special breed of talented people who were part of one of the most interesting musical and entertainment stories in America's history. In their own words and those of family members, these tales relate the hard work, luck, and do-it-yourself independence of the pioneers of this music. Some became household names while others were important but remained almost totally unknown to the general public. Here you meet the Carter family, Jack Jackson, Bob Douglas, Grandpa Jones, Bashful Brother Oswald, Mac Wiseman, Earl Scruggs, Raymond Fairchild, and other greats of the field. Their touching personal stories and 190 photographs showing the artists with their instruments, families, and audiences, bring this musical heritage to life for modern listeners.

Under the Influence of Classic Country - Profiles of 36 Performers of the 1940s to Today (Paperback): Sheree Homer Under the Influence of Classic Country - Profiles of 36 Performers of the 1940s to Today (Paperback)
Sheree Homer
R1,243 Discovery Miles 12 430 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The music today known as "classic country" originated in the South in the 1920s. Influenced by blues and folk music, instrumentation was typically guitar, fiddle, bass, steel guitar, and later drums, with lyrics and arrangements rooted in tradition. This book covers some of the genre's legendary artists, from its heyday in the 1940s to its decline in the early 1970s. Revivalists keeping the traditions alive in the 21st century are also explored. Drawing on original interviews with artists and their associates, biographical profiles chronicle their lives on the road and in the studio, as well as the stories behind popular songs. Thirty-six performers are profiled, including Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, Loretta Lynn, Bill Anderson, Faron Young, Mickey Gilley, Freddie Hart, Jerry Reed, Charley Pride, David Frizzell, The Cactus Blossoms, The Secret Sisters, and Pokey LaFarge.

Crooked River City - The Musical Life of Nashville's William Pursell (Paperback): Terry Wait Klefstad Crooked River City - The Musical Life of Nashville's William Pursell (Paperback)
Terry Wait Klefstad
R1,042 Discovery Miles 10 420 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A pianist, arranger, and composer, William Pursell is a mainstay of the Nashville music scene. He has played jazz in Nashville's Printer's Alley with Chet Atkins and Harold Bradley, recorded with Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline, performed with the Nashville Symphony, and composed and arranged popular and classical music. Pursell's career, winding like a crooked river between classical and popular genres, encompasses a striking diversity of musical experiences. A series of key choices sent him down different paths, whether it was reenrolling with the Air Force for a second tour of duty, leaving the prestigious Eastman School of Music to tour with an R&B band, or refusing to sign with the Beatles' agent Sid Bernstein. The story of his life as a working musician is unlike any other-he is not a country musician nor a popular musician nor a classical musician but, instead, an artist who refused to be limited by traditional categories. Crooked River City is driven by a series of recollections and personal anecdotes Terry Wait Klefstad assembled over a three-year period of interviews with Pursell. His story is one not only of talent, but of dedication and hard work, and of the ins and outs of a working musician in America. This biography fills a crucial gap in Nashville music history for both scholars and music fans.

The Blue Sky Boys (Hardcover): Dick Spottswood The Blue Sky Boys (Hardcover)
Dick Spottswood
R3,077 Discovery Miles 30 770 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

During the 1940s, country music was rapidly evolving from traditional songs and string band styles to honky-tonk, western swing, and bluegrass, via radio, records, and film. The Blue Sky Boys, brothers Bill (1917-2008) and Earl (1919-1998) Bolick, resisted the trend, preferring to perform folk and parlor songs, southern hymns, and new compositions that enhanced their trademark intimacy and warmth. They were still in their teens when they became professional musicians to avoid laboring in Depression-era North Carolina cotton mills. Their instantly recognizable style was fully formed by 1936, when even their first records captured soulful harmonies accented with spare guitar and mandolin accompaniments. They inspired imitators, but none could duplicate the Blue Sky Boys' emotional appeal or their distinctive Catawba County accents. Even their last records in the 1970sretained their unique magical sound decades after other country brother duets had come and gone. In this absorbing account, Dick Spottswood combines excerpts from Bill Bolick's numerous spoken interviews and written accounts of his music, life, and career into a single narrative that presents much of the story in Bill's own voice. Spottswood reveals fascinating nuggets about broadcasting, recording, and surviving in the 1930s world of country music. He describes how the growing industry both aided and thwarted the Bolick brothers' career, and how World War II nearly finished it. The book features a complete, extensively annotated list of Blue Sky Boys songs, an updated discography that includes surviving unpublished records, and dozens of vintage photos and sheet music covers.

Living the Dream (Hardcover): Daniel O'Donnell Living the Dream (Hardcover)
Daniel O'Donnell; As told to Eddie Rowley
R860 R714 Discovery Miles 7 140 Save R146 (17%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In Ireland, Daniel O'Donnell is more than just a singing star: he has reached the status of 'national treasure'. It has been a long journey for the boy from Kincasslagh, County Donegal, and in Living the Dream he tells his story with his customary sense of humour and down-to-earth charm. Much has happened in Daniel O'Donnell's life since his first autobiography, Follow Your Dream, and in this new book he reflects on the range of experiences and emotions that accompanied his wife Majella's battle with cancer; the death of his beloved mother, Julia; his part in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing TV show; and his B&B Road Trip adventures with Majella. And he delves into the relentless touring and recording that took him to the brink of burnout and forced him to reassess his priorities. Daniel O'Donnell is an international phenomenon - 'a real star'. His fans will love this latest instalment of his extraordinary life story.

Whisperin' Bill Anderson - An Unprecedented Life in Country Music (Paperback): Bill Anderson Whisperin' Bill Anderson - An Unprecedented Life in Country Music (Paperback)
Bill Anderson; As told to Peter Cooper
R697 R582 Discovery Miles 5 820 Save R115 (16%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Whisperin' Bill: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music presents a revealing portrait of Bill Anderson, one of the most prolific songwriters in the history of country music. Mega country music hits like ""City Lights,"" (Ray Price), ""Tips Of My Fingers,"" (Roy Clark, Eddy Arnold, Steve Wariner), ""Once A Day,"" (Connie Smith), ""Saginaw, Michigan,"" (Lefty Frizzell), and many more flowed from his pen, making him one of the most decorated songwriters in music history. But the iconic singer, songwriter, performer, and TV host came to a point in his career where he questioned if what he had to say mattered anymore. Music Row had changed, a new generation of artists and songwriters had transformed the genre, and the Country Music Hall of Fame member and fifty-year Grand Ole Opry star was no longer relevant. By 1990, he wasn't writing anymore. Bad investments left him teetering at bankruptcy's edge. His marriage was falling apart. And in Nashville, a music town where youth often carries the day, he was a museum piece - only seen as a nostalgia act, waving from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Anderson was only in his fifties when he assumed he had climbed all the mountains he was intended to scale. But in those moments plagued with self-doubt, little did he know, his most rewarding climb lie ahead. A follow-up to his 1989 autobiography, this honest and revealing book tells the story of a man with an unprecedented gift, holding on to it in order to share it. Known as "Whisperin' Bill" to generations of fans for his soft vocalizations and spoken lyrics, Anderson is the only songwriter in country music history to have a song on the charts in each of the past seven consecutive decades. He has celebrated chart-topping success as a recording artist with eighty charting singles and thirty-seven Top Ten country hits, including "Still," ""8 x 10"", ""I Love You Drops,"" and "Mama Sang A Song." A six-time Song of the Year Award-winner and BMI Icon Award recipient, Anderson has taken home many CMA and ACM Award trophies and garnered multiple GRAMMY nominations. His knack for the spoken word has also made him a successful television host, having starred on The Bill Anderson Show, Opry Backstage, Country's Family Reunion, and others. Moreover, his multi-faceted success extends far beyond the country format with artists like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Dean Martin, and Elvis Costello recording his songs. Today, thanks to the support of musical peers and a few famous friends who believed in him, Anderson continues to forge the path of lyrical integrity in music, harnessing his ability to craft a song that tells a familiar story, grabs you by the heart and moves you. Modern day examples include ""Whiskey Lullaby"" (Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss), ""Give It Away"" (George Strait), ""A Lot of Things Different"" (Kenny Chesney), and ""Which Bridge to Cross"" (Vince Gill). A product of a long-gone Nashville, Anderson worked to reinvent himself, and this biography documents Anderson's fifty-plus-year career - a career he once thought unattainable. Richly illustrated with black-and-white photos of Anderson interacting with the superstars of American music, including such legends as Patsy Cline, Vince Gill, and Steve Wariner, this book highlights Anderson's trajectory in the business and his influence on the past, present, and future of this dynamic genre.

Wayfaring Stranger - A Musical Journey in the American South (Paperback): Emma John Wayfaring Stranger - A Musical Journey in the American South (Paperback)
Emma John 1
R308 R252 Discovery Miles 2 520 Save R56 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Can you feel nostalgic for a life you've never known? Suffused with her much-loved warmth and wit, Emma John's memoir follows her moving and memorable journey to master one of the hardest musical styles on earth - and to find her place in an alien world. Emma had fallen out of love with her violin when a chance trip to the American South introduced her to bluegrass music. Classically trained, highly strung and wedded to London life, Emma was about as country as a gin martini. So why did it feel like a homecoming? Answering that question takes Emma deep into the Appalachian mountains, where she uncovers a hidden culture that confounds every expectation - and learns some emotional truths of her own.

Mastering Banjo (Book): Ned Luberecki Mastering Banjo (Book)
Ned Luberecki
R563 R507 Discovery Miles 5 070 Save R56 (10%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days
The Nashville Sound - Bright Lights and Country Music (Paperback): Paul Hemphill The Nashville Sound - Bright Lights and Country Music (Paperback)
Paul Hemphill; Foreword by Don Cusic
R725 R599 Discovery Miles 5 990 Save R126 (17%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

While on a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, journalist and novelist Paul Hemphill wrote of that pivotal moment in the late sixties when traditional defenders of the hillbilly roots of country music were confronted by the new influences and business realities of pop music. The demimonde of the traditional Nashville venues (Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Robert's Western World, and the Ryman Auditorium) and first-wave artists (Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, and Lefty Frizzell) are shown coming into first contact, if not conflict, with a new wave of pop-influenced and business savvy country performers (Jeannie C. "Harper Valley PTA" Riley, Johnny Ryles, and Glen Campbell) and rock performers (Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, the Byrds, and the Grateful Dead) as they took the form well beyond Music City. Originally published in 1970, The Nashville Sound shows the resulting identity crisis as a fascinating, even poignant, moment in country music and entertainment history.

Living in the Woods in a Tree - Remembering Blaze Foley (Paperback): Sybil Rosen Living in the Woods in a Tree - Remembering Blaze Foley (Paperback)
Sybil Rosen
R544 R481 Discovery Miles 4 810 Save R63 (12%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Living in the Woods in a Tree is an intimate glimpse into the turbulent life of Texas music legend Blaze Foley (1949-1989), seen through the eyes of Sybil Rosen, the woman for whom he wrote his most widely known song, "If I Could Only Fly." It captures the exuberance of their fleeting idyll in a tree house in the Georgia woods during the countercultural 1970s. Rosen offers a firsthand witnessing of Foley's transformation from a reticent hippie musician to the enigmatic singer/songwriter who would live and die outside society's rules. While Foley's own performances are only recently being released, his songs have been covered by Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, and John Prine. When he first encountered "If I Could Only Fly," Merle Haggard called it "the best country song I've heard in fifteen years." In a work that is part-memoir, part-biography, Rosen struggles to finally come to terms with Foley's myth and her role in its creation. Her tracing of his impact on her life navigates a lovers' roadmap along the permeable boundary between life and death. A must-read for all Blaze Foley and Texas music fans, as well as romantics of all ages, Living in the Woods in a Tree is an honest and compassionate portrait of the troubled artist and his reluctant muse.

The Starday Story - The House That Country Music Built (Paperback): Nathan D. Gibson The Starday Story - The House That Country Music Built (Paperback)
Nathan D. Gibson; As told to Don Pierce
R975 Discovery Miles 9 750 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

"The Starday Story: The House That Country Music Built" is the first book entirely dedicated to one of the most influential music labels of the twentieth century. In addition to creating the largest bluegrass catalogue throughout the 1950s and '60s, Starday was also known for its legendary rockabilly catalog, an extensive Texas honky-tonk outpouring, classic gospel and sacred recordings, and as a Nashville independent powerhouse studio and label. Written with label president and cofounder Don Pierce (1915-2005), this book traces the label's origins in 1953 through the 1968 Starday-King merger. Interviews with artists and their families, employees, and Pierce contribute to the stories behind famous hit songs, including "Y'all Come," "A Satisfied Mind," "Why Baby Why," "Giddy-up Go," "Alabam," and many others. Gibson's research and interviews also shed new light on the musical careers of George Jones, Arlie Duff, Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, the Stanley Brothers, Cowboy Copas, Red Sovine, and countless other Starday artists. Conversations with the children of Pappy Daily and Jack Starns provide a unique perspective on the early days of Starday, and extensive interviews with Pierce offer an insider glance at the country music industry during its golden era. Weathering through the storm of rock and roll and, later, the Nashville Sound, Starday was a home to traditional country musicians and became one of the most successful independent labels in American history. Ultimately, "The Starday Story" is the definitive record of a country music label that played an integral role in preserving our nation's musical heritage.

Bean Blossom - The Brown County Jamboree and Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Festivals (Paperback): Thomas A. Adler Bean Blossom - The Brown County Jamboree and Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Festivals (Paperback)
Thomas A. Adler
R640 Discovery Miles 6 400 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Bean Blossom, Indiana--near Brown County State Park and the artist-colony town of Nashville, Indiana--is home to the annual Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, founded in 1967 by Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass. Widely recognized as the oldest continuously running bluegrass music festival in the world, this June festival's roots run back to late 1951, when Monroe purchased the Brown County Jamboree, a live weekly country music show presented between April and November each year. Over the years, Monroe's festival featured the top performers in bluegrass music, including Jimmy Martin, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, the Goins Brothers, the Stanley Brothers, and many more. Thomas A. Adler's history of Bean Blossom traces the long and colorful life of the Brown County Jamboree and Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Festival. Adler discusses the development of bluegrass music, the many personalities involved in the bluegrass music scene, the interplay of local, regional, and national interests, and the meaning of this venue to the music's many performers--both professional and amateur--and its legions of fans.

He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones, Billy Sherrill, and the Pretty-Much Totally True Story of the Making of the... He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones, Billy Sherrill, and the Pretty-Much Totally True Story of the Making of the Greatest Country Record of All Time (Hardcover)
Jack Isenhour
R1,174 Discovery Miles 11 740 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

When George Jones recorded "He Stopped Loving Her Today" more than thirty years ago, he was a walking disaster. Twin addictions to drugs and alcohol had him drinking Jim Beam by the case and snorting cocaine as long as he was awake. Before it was over, Jones would be bankrupt, homeless, and an unwilling patient at an Alabama mental institution. In the midst of all this chaos, legendary producer Billy Sherrill-the man who discovered Tammy Wynette and cowrote "Stand by Your Man"-would somehow coax the performance of a lifetime out of the mercurial Jones. The result was a country masterpiece.

"He Stopped Loving Her Today," the story behind the making of the song often voted the best country song ever by both critics and fans, offers an overview of country music's origins and a search for the music's elusive Holy Grail: authenticity. The schizoid bottom line-even though country music is undeniably a branch of the make believe world of show biz, to fans and scholars alike, authenticity remains the ultimate measure of the music's power.

I Hear a Voice Calling - A Bluegrass Memoir (Paperback): Gene Lowinger I Hear a Voice Calling - A Bluegrass Memoir (Paperback)
Gene Lowinger
R484 Discovery Miles 4 840 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

During the final years of Bill Monroe's life, bluegrass fiddler Gene Lowinger took a series of on- and off-stage photographs of Monroe on the road--preparing for shows, performing, interacting with fans and audiences--and in informal settings with family, friends, and fellow musicians. This book presents these photos of Monroe's last years as well as other photos documenting Lowinger's involvement with the bluegrass scene beginning in the early 1960s. As a fiddler for Monroe, Lowinger was given unique access to Monroe's private life, and his photographs capture poignant scenes, from energetic performances to moments of quiet repose. Lowinger's photos accompany his own story of a New Jersey boy obsessed with folk and bluegrass music, and he recounts college trips to country music parks in Pennsylvania to see Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, and Bill Monroe; his stints as a fiddler for the New York Ramblers and Blue Grass Boys; and his memories of playing at the Grand Ole Opry and music festivals. A photographic reflection on Bill Monroe's public and private life, I Hear a Voice Calling also testifies to the bluegrass master's profound mentorship and guidance.

All Star Bluegrass Jam Along - Mandolin (Mixed media product): Matt Flinner All Star Bluegrass Jam Along - Mandolin (Mixed media product)
Matt Flinner
R635 R522 Discovery Miles 5 220 Save R113 (18%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

(Homespun Tapes). These fabulous collections for players of all levels feature 21 must-know bluegrss songs & instrumentals, created especially for learning players by the genre's leading artists. The artist plays a basic solo that states the melody of the tune, then a more adventurous improvisation, and each solo is transcribed in detail. The CD provides the audio versions of the solos, plus multiple rhythm tracks performed at moderate tempo for easy play-along. This great series will help you build your repertoire & get your licks in shape, so you can shine in your next performance or jam session Songs include: Bill Cheatham * Blackberry Blossom * Down in the Willow Garden * I Am a Pilgrim * I'll Fly Away * In the Pines * John Hardy * Old Joe Clark * Soldier's Joy * more

Bonfire of Roadmaps (Paperback): Joe Ely Bonfire of Roadmaps (Paperback)
Joe Ely
R509 R443 Discovery Miles 4 430 Save R66 (13%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Since he first hitched a ride out of Lubbock, Texas, at the age of sixteen, singer-songwriter and Flatlanders band member Joe Ely has been a road warrior, traveling highways and back roads across America and Europe, playing music for "2 hours of ecstasy" out of "22 hours of misery." To stay sane on the road, Ely keeps a journal, penning verses that sometimes morph into songs, and other times remain "snapshots of what was flying by, just out of reach, so to savor at a later date when the wheels stop rolling, and the gears quit grinding, and the engines shut down." In Bonfire of Roadmaps, Ely takes readers on the road with him. Using verse passages from his road journals and his own drawings, Ely authentically re-creates the experience of a musician's life on tour, from the hard goodbyes at home, to the long hours on the road, to the exhilaration of a great live show, to the exhaustion after weeks of touring. Ely's road trips begin as he rides the rails to Manhattan in 1972 and continue up through recent concert tours with fellow Flatlanders Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. While acknowledging that "it is not the nature of a gypsy to look in the rearview mirror," Joe Ely nevertheless offers his many fans a revelatory look back over the roads he's traveled and the wisdom he's won from his experiences. And for "those who want to venture beyond the horizon just to see what is there . . . to those, I hope these accounts will give a glint of inspiration . . ."

XX - Lyrics and Photographs of the Cowboy Junkies, with watercolors by Enrique Martinez Celaya (Hardcover): Cowboy Junkies XX - Lyrics and Photographs of the Cowboy Junkies, with watercolors by Enrique Martinez Celaya (Hardcover)
Cowboy Junkies
R1,200 R970 Discovery Miles 9 700 Save R230 (19%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

"Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Whale and Star Press" For the Cowboy Junkies it all begins with a song: an acoustic guitar and a voice. But each song comes to each album with its own history, along its own strange path. Some are born and realized in a matter of minutes; others take years to finally find a place. Some pop out as perfect little gems; others mutate and transform themselves, stealing and pillaging from the unformed. XX celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the Cowboy Junkies, one of the most distinctive and influential rock bands in recent years. Starting with the seminal album "The Trinity Session," the Canadian band's signature sound, based on traditional blues and post-punk rock, has garnered much critical acclaim and an uncommonly devoted international following. The Cowboy Junkies are guitarist and lyricist Michael Timmins, bassist Alan Anton, and Timmins's siblings Margo (lead vocals) and Peter (drums). This book, the first to focus on the Cowboy Junkies, offers an intimate look at the band through their own photographs and the poetic lyrics of Michael Timmins, who chose the selections. Each lyric is accompanied by a resonant illustration created by renowned artist Enrique Martinez Celaya, who is a friend and fan of the band.

Tommy Thompson and the Banjo - The Life of a North Carolina Old-Time Music Revivalist (Paperback): Lewis M. Stern Tommy Thompson and the Banjo - The Life of a North Carolina Old-Time Music Revivalist (Paperback)
Lewis M. Stern
R1,258 Discovery Miles 12 580 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Tommy Thompson was a banjo player, writer, actor, teacher and thinker. He arrived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the early 1960s smitten by folk and traditional Appalachian music. In 1972, he teamed up with Bill Hicks and Jim Watson to form the nontraditional string band the Red Clay Ramblers. Mike Craver, Jack Herrick, Clay Buckner, Bland Simpson and Chris Frank would eventually join them. Using interviews and writings from Thompson and his loved ones, the author presents to us a life that revolved around music and creativity. Included are appendices on Thompson's banjos, a discography and notes on his collaborative lyric writing.

The Honky Tonk on the Left - Progressive Thought in Country Music (Paperback): Mark Allan Jackson The Honky Tonk on the Left - Progressive Thought in Country Music (Paperback)
Mark Allan Jackson
R1,069 R884 Discovery Miles 8 840 Save R185 (17%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Massively popular for the past century, country music has often been associated with political and social conservatism. While such figures as George Wallace, Richard Nixon, and Ted Cruz have embraced and even laid claim to this musical genre over the years, country performers have long expressed bold and progressive positions on a variety of public issues, whether through song lyrics, activism, or performance style. Bringing together a wide spectrum of cultural critics, The Honky Tonk on the Left takes on this conservative stereotype and reveals how progressive thought has permeated country music from its beginnings to the present day. The original essays in this collection analyze how diverse performers, including Fiddlin' John Carson, Webb Pierce, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, O. B. McClinton, Garth Brooks, and Uncle Tupelo, have taken on such issues as government policies, gender roles, civil rights, prison reform, and labor unrest. Taking notice of the wrongs in their eras, these musicians worked to address them in song and action, often with strong support from fans. In addition to the volume editor, this collection includes work by Gregory N. Reish, Peter La Chapelle, Stephanie Vander Wel, Charles L. Hughes, Ted Olson, Nadine Hubbs, Stephanie Shonekan, Stephen A. King, P. Renee Foster, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Travis D. Stimeling, and Jonathan Silverman.

The Downhome Sound - Diversity and Politics in Americana Music (Paperback): Mandi Bates Bailey, Guy Davis The Downhome Sound - Diversity and Politics in Americana Music (Paperback)
Mandi Bates Bailey, Guy Davis
R793 Discovery Miles 7 930 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

American roots music, also known as Americana music, can be challenging to categorize, spanning the genres of jazz, bluegrass, country, blues, rock and roll, and an assortment of variations in between. In The Downhome Sound, Mandi Bates Bailey explores the messages, artists, community, and appeal of this seemingly disparate musical collective. To understand the art form's intended meanings and typical audiences, she analyzes lyrics and interviews Americana artists, journalists, and festival organizers to uncover a desire for inclusion and diversity. Bailey also conducts an experiment to assess listener reception relative to more commercial forms of music. The result is an in-depth study of the political and cultural influence of Americana and its implications for social justice.

Bird on a Blade (Hardcover): Rosanne Cash Bird on a Blade (Hardcover)
Rosanne Cash; Contributions by Dan Rizzie
R500 Discovery Miles 5 000 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

With an iconic sound that transcends country, pop, rock, and blues, Rosanne Cash's voice and vision have captured American life for generations of fans. Over the same time span, internationally acclaimed artist Dan Rizzie has wowed collectors with his evocative paintings, prints, and collages. Now, in a book that is as unique as their artistry, Cash and her longtime friend Rizzie have teamed up to create an extraordinary hybrid. Blending images created by Rizzie with strands of lyrics from a variety of Cash's songs (including new material from her latest album, She Remembers Everything, as well as her beloved classics), Bird on a Blade is a mosaic designed to inspire the imagination and soothe the heart. Oscillating between periods of growth and times of darkness, Bird on a Blade reflects on life's mysteries. Powerful lines from songs such as "God Is in the Roses" from the 2006 album Black Cadillac evoke themes of mourning, with meditations on solitude. By turns, a verse of "Fire of the Newly Alive" from the 1993 album The Wheel celebrates passion and renewal. Working together, Cash and Rizzie selected some of his most vibrant paintings, collages, and drawings to complement the words, using geometric patterns, ornaments, and lush glimpses of nature, including Rizzie's signature bird imagery. The work of a harmonious duet, the fifty pairings in Cash and Rizzie's Bird on a Blade exude inspiration from cover to cover.

Queer Country (Hardcover): Shana Goldin-Perschbacher Queer Country (Hardcover)
Shana Goldin-Perschbacher
R2,552 Discovery Miles 25 520 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A No Depression Most Memorable Music Book of 2022 A Pitchfork Best Music Book of 2022 Though frequently ignored by the music mainstream, queer and transgender country and Americana artists have made essential contributions as musicians, performers, songwriters, and producers. Queer Country blends ethnographic research with analysis and history to provide the first in-depth study of these artists and their work. Shana Goldin-Perschbacher delves into the careers of well-known lesbian artists like k.d. lang and Amy Ray and examines the unlikely success of singer-songwriter Patrick Haggerty, who found fame forty years after releasing the first out gay country album. She also focuses on later figures like nonbinary transgender musician Rae Spoon and renowned drag queen country artist Trixie Mattel; and on recent breakthrough artists like Orville Peck, Amythyst Kiah, and chart-topping Grammy-winning phenomenon Lil Nas X. Many of these musicians place gender and sexuality front and center even as it complicates their careers. But their ongoing efforts have widened the circle of country/Americana by cultivating new audiences eager to connect with the artists' expansive music and personal identities. Detailed and one-of-a-kind, Queer Country reinterprets country and Americana music through the lives and work of artists forced to the margins of the genre's history.

Hillbilly Maidens, Okies, and Cowgirls - Women's Country Music, 1930-1960 (Paperback): Stephanie Vander Wel Hillbilly Maidens, Okies, and Cowgirls - Women's Country Music, 1930-1960 (Paperback)
Stephanie Vander Wel
R634 Discovery Miles 6 340 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

From the 1930s to the 1960s, the booming popularity of country music threw a spotlight on a new generation of innovative women artists. These individuals blazed trails as singers, musicians, and performers even as the industry hemmed in their potential popularity with labels like woman hillbilly, singing cowgirl, and honky-tonk angel.Stephanie Vander Wel looks at the careers of artists like Patsy Montana, Rose Maddox, and Kitty Wells against the backdrop of country music's golden age. Analyzing recordings and appearances on radio, film, and television, she connects performances to real and imagined places and examines how the music sparked new ways for women listeners to imagine the open range, the honky-tonk, and the home. The music also captured the tensions felt by women facing geographic disruption and economic uncertainty. While classic songs and heartfelt performances might ease anxieties, the subject matter underlined women's ambivalent relationships to industrialism, middle-class security, and established notions of femininity.

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