Country Music Originals The Legends and the Lost

by Russell, Tony

• ISBN13: 9780195325096
• ISBN10: 0195325095
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-11-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In this sparkling collection, "roots" music authority Tony Russell offers vivid portraits of the men and women who created country music, the artists whose lives and songs formed the rich tradition from which Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Dixie Chicks, and so many others havedrawn their inspiration. Included here are not only such major figures as Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family, Fiddlin' John Carson, Charlie Poole, and Gene Autry, who put country music on America's cultural map in the 1920s and '30s, but many fascinating lesser-known figures as well, such as Carson Robison, Otto Gray, ChrisBouchillon, Emry Arthur and dozens more, many of whose stories are told here for the first time. To map some of the winding, untraveled roads that connect today's music to its ancestors, Russell draws upon new research and rare source material, such as contemporary newspaper reports and magazinearticles, internet genealogy sites, and his own interviews with the musicians or their families. The result is a lively mix of colorful tales and anecdotes, priceless contemporary accounts of performances, illuminating social and historical context, and well-grounded critical judgment. The essaysare enhanced by more than 200 illustrations, many of them seldom seen and some never before published, including artist photographs, record labels, song sheets, newspaper clippings, cartoons, advertisements, and magazine covers, recreating the look and feel of the entire culture of country music.Each essay includes as well a playlist of recommended and currently available recordings for each artist. Country Music Originals is a collection of gems which will delight the aficionado and first-time enthusiast as well as the scholar of American folk music.

Author Biography

Tony Russell is a music historian who has written on country music, blues, jazz, and other forms of popular music in a wide variety of publications and has researched, written, and presented many musical programs for BBC Radio. He is the author of Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942 (OUP 2004), The Blues from Robert Johnson to Robert Cray, and other books. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Notes on Playlists

Uncle Dave Macon

Fiddlin' Powers

Uncle Jimmy Thompson

Georgia Yellow Hammers

South Georgia Highballers

Bridge: The Great Divide

Carolina Tar Heels

Carolina Twins

Red Fox Chasers

Dr Smith's Champion Hoss Hair Pullers

Fiddlin' Bob Larkan

Golden Melody Boys

Powder River Jack Lee

Cartwright Brothers

Harry "Mac" McClintock

Bernard "Slim" Smith

Bridge: Country Music In Transition

Mac & Bob

The Girls of the Golden West

Bridge: The Radio Years

Lulu Belle & Scotty

Dixon Brothers

Callahan Brothers

"Ramblin' Red" Lowery

Delmore Brothers

Bridge: Western Swing & Honkytonk

Light Crust Doughboys

Red River Dave McEnery

Bibliography

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