A scholarly and totally uncensored collection of authentic cowboy songs, with emphasis on vulgar, bawdy, & obscene ditties. Softcover. 388 pp.
available as a special order
75-34
$37.00
A GUIDE TO THE CROOKED ROAD: VIRGINIA'S HERITAGE MUSIC TRAIL
by Joe Wilson
Photo
Book/2-CD set. The Crooked Road is a 253-mile trail in Virginia, running from the Piedmont to deep in the coalfields of Lee, Wise, Scott and Dickenson counties. Musicians from the early days of rural music include The Carter Family, Dock Boggs, Hobart Smith, Byrd Moore, Fiddlin Powers, Grayson & Whitter, the Stoneman Family, more. In the post-war era you find the Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, The Lost & Found, Jimmy Arnold, the Mullins Family, etc. All are featured with one track each - 52 tracks in all! The book lists points of interest: the Ralph Stanley Museum, the Birthplace of Country Music in Bristol, Blue Ridge Institute; listings for craftsmen such as Wayne Henderson; eating places; festivals (like the Galax Fiddlers Convention); and locations of jam sessions where Bluegrass and old-time music can still be seen & heard. Get a copy and set out to travel the Crooked Road! 226 pp.
542-305
$19.95
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ACOUSTIC STORIES: PLAYING BASS WITH PETER, PAUL & MARY, JERRY GARCIA AND BILL MONROE AND EIGHTEEN OTHER UNAMPLIFIED TALES
by Bill Amatneek
Photo
Author Bill Amatneek has spent his life with music. He was the bass player on the first David Grisman Quintet album, a writer for Rolling Stone, banjoist with Frank Wakefield, and much more. This book consists of a series of stories of life in the culture of the eclectic (but primarily acoustic) musician of the late 20th century. Peopled by names like Tony Rice, Kate Wolf, Peter Rowan, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Aretha Franklin, Frank Wakefield, David Grisman and others, these entertaining and thoughtfully related tales mark Amatneek as a fine storyteller, and reveal the human nature of some of our finest musicians. Awarded Best Music Book by the Bay Area Independent Publishers Assoc. in 2004. Recommended. 187 pp.
610-1
$15.95
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AFRICAN BANJO ECHOES IN APPALACHIA: A STUDY OF FOLK TRADITIONS
by Cecelia Conway
Photo
A well-researched study of the influence of African-Americans on banjo playing throughout U.S. history. Includes many photographs and illustrations. Notes, bibliography and index. 394 pp.
411-5
$26.00
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AMERICA'S INSTRUMENT: THE BANJO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
by Phillip Gura and James Bollman
5 Photos
Now in it's second printing! Richly illustrated history of "America's instrument" from the gourd banjo of enslaved Africans to the minstrel banjos of the mid 1800's, and the Fairbanks, Stewart, Haynes and other instruments representing the very zenith of popular culture in the late 1800s. Rare period photos, sheet music covers, tutors, tunebooks and more! Hardcover, 97 color and 156 b&w illustrations, 303 pp.
411-7
$73.50
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BEAN BLOSSOM: THE BROWN COUNTY JAMBOREE AND BILL MONROE'S BLUEGRASS FESTIVALS
by Thomas A. Adler
Photo
ON SALE, REGULARLY $24.95! Bean Blossom Indiana is home to the annual Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, founded in 1967 by Bill Monroe. With roots back in 1951, it is the longest running bluegrass festival in the world. Adler traces the long and colorful history of the event. He discusses the development of bluegrass music, the many personalities of the bluegrass music scene, the interplay of local, regional, and national interests, and the meaning of the festival to the music's many performers - professional and amateur - and its legions of fans. 245 pp.
75-51
.. list $24.95 ours
$12.00
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BLUEGRASS TIME: A MUSICIAN'S PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE EARLY DAYS OF BLUEGRASS FESTIVALS
by Phil Zimmerman
2 Photos
Featuring photographs taken between 1972 and 1984, the book documents the passing of the torch from the first generation pioneers of bluegrass to their successors, as well as capturing the energy of the early festivals. Includes Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Kenny Baker, Don Stover, Charlie Waller and the Country Gentlemen, J.D. Crowe and the New South, Sam Bush and New Grass Revival, John Hartford, Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Vasser Clements, Del McCoury, many more. Printed in black and white using 4-color rich black process to achieve the highest possible quality. Foreword by Rhonda Vincent. 64 pp.
out-of-stock, more coming soon
714-1
$25.00
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BLUEGRASS: A HISTORY
by Neil Rosenberg
Photo
Exhaustive, definitive look at the makers, the songs, and the forces that shaped Bluegrass music. With detailed bibliography, discography, and footnotes. Twentieth Anniversary Edition. 447 pages.
out-of-stock, more coming soon
75-26
$25.95
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BREAKFAST IN NUDIE SUITS
by Ian Dunlop
Photo
The story of a bunch of musical desparados fighting the business, fighting audience indifference and fighting musical prejudice as they played a new kind of country. Part Kerouac, part Tom Robbins, it's a transcendental road trip down a lost highway that leads to the roots of the Americana music movement. The events of the mid-sixties crackle off the page. Examines Parsons' 1965 - 1968 road trip across America as he tried to establish country music in an era of rock. 310 pp.
542-358
$19.95
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BUNYAN AND BANJOES: MICHIGAN SONGS & STORIES
by Kitty Donohoe & Pasqua Cekola Warstler
Photo
Now available as a book/CD pack! An enchanting potpourri of folklore, songs, Indian legends, recipes, history, and other Michigan-based activities. Includes stories on how maple sugar is made; the early fur trade, the building of the Mackinac Bridge and Soo Locks; the sad loss of the steamer Chicora; as well as several songs adapted to sign language. 48 pp.
232-1CD
$25.95
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CAJUN MUSIC: A REFLECTION OF A PEOPLE
by Ann Allen Savoy
Photo
A labor of love -- and THE history of Cajun music -- from one of the genre's leading contemporary musicians and historians. Over 100 traditional songs in Cajun French with English translations, and interviews with many great Cajun musicians. Loaded with photos. 419 pp.
216-1
$45.00
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CLAPTON'S GUITAR: WATCHING WAYNE HENDERSON BUILD THE PERFECT INSTRUMENT
by Allen St. John
Photo
A mesmerizing journey into the heart of high-end guitar-making through the quirky character of Wayne Henderson, a musician and craftsman who builds his guitars by hand, literally by putting penknife to wood and carving away "everything that isn't a guitar." There is a waiting list 10 years long for his guitars. This absorbing account follows, step-by-step, the incredible sculpting of Clapton's favored guitar and along the way readers get a whirlwind tour of what might be called "Six String Nation," where fine instruments are made, played, and treasured in modern America. 277 pp.
542-141
$15.00
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COLD PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST: A MEM-WHA?
by Christine Lavin
Photo
A folk singer who has been in the biz for 25+ years offers a memoir of road stories and adventures across the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as tales about some of the folk-music greats: Bob Dylan, Ervin Drake, Dave Van Ronk, others. With an index and appendix that features the author's top 1000 songs that she played while serving as a guest disc jockey in New York City. 405 pp.
542-286
$21.95
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COME HITHER TO GO YONDER: PLAYING BLUEGRASS WITH BILL MONROE
by Bob Black
Photo
Bill Monroe is so foundational to bluegrass music that the entire genre took its name from his band, the Blue Grass Boys. Black recounts his years spent as a member of that seminal band, telling the story from the perspective of a musician who was actually there. This is Black's personal memoir about the profound influence that Monroe exerted on the musicians who've carried on the bluegrass tradition in the wake of his 1996 death. Includes his most memorable experiences while they worked together, brief descriptions of the more important musicians and bands mentioned, and suggestions for further reading and listening. Offers a rare perspective on the creative forces that drove one of America's greatest composers and musical innovators. 188 pp.
75-54
$22.95
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ESCAPING THE DELTA: ROBERT JOHNSON AND THE INVENTION OF THE BLUES
by Elijah Wald
Photo
Wald presents the first thorough examination of Johnson's work and uses it as a centerpiece for a fresh look at the history of the blues. He covers the rural folk roots but focuses on its evolution as a hip African-American pop style. Using original research to tell the story from the "inside" he shows how the image of the blues was created over time, and the larger world it came from. Stripped of the embellishments, blues history falls into a different pattern. 342 pp.
542-334
$14.99
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EXPLORING AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC - ETHNIC, GRASSROOTS, AND REGIONAL TRADITIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
by Kip Lornell
Photo
Covers, as a textbook, the diverse strains of American folk music - Latin, Native American, African, French-Canadian, British, and Cajun - offering a chronology of the development of folk music in the United States. Twelve chapters cover topics like sacred harp singing, conjunto music, the folk revival, blues, and ballad singing. With a new chapter on urban folk music. Introduces the reader to Bob Wills, Lydia Mendoza, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters and other music icons. Suggestions for listening, reading, and viewing. 386 pp.
701-7
$30.00
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GONE TO THE COUNTRY: THE NEW LOST CITY RAMBLERS AND THE FOLK MUSIC REVIVAL
by Ray Allen
Photo
Chronicles the life and music of the New Lost City Ramblers, a trio of city-bred musicians who helped pioneer the resurgence of southern roots music during the folk revival of the late 1950s and 1960s. Interweaving biography, history, and music criticism, Allen explores how the trio brought southern ballads, blues, string bands and bluegrass to northern urban audiences. 314 pp.
542-307
$25.00
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GUITAR IN AMERICA: VICTORIAN ERA TO JAZZ AGE
by Jeffrey J. Noonan
Photo
Offers a history of the instrument from America's late Victorian period to the jazz age. The opening chapter traces the guitar's use in this country from the Colonial era up to the 1880s. The narrative continues with America's BMG (banjo, mandolin, and guitar) community, a late nineteenth-century musical and commercial movement dedicated to introducing these instruments into America's elite musical establishments. Using surviving BMG magazines, the author details an almost unknown history of the guitar during the movement's heyday, tracing the guitar's transformation from a refined parlor instrument to a mainstay in jazz and popular music. In the process, he not only introduces musicians (including numerous women guitarists) who led the movement, but also examines new techniques and instruments. Chapters consider the BMG movement's impact on jazz and popular music, the use of the guitar to promote attitudes towards women and minorities, and the challenges foreign guitarists such as Miguel Llobet and Andres Segovia presented to America's musicians. 239 pp.
701-5
$25.00
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HAWAIIAN MUSIC & MUSICIANS - AN ENCYCLOPEDIC HISTORY, 2nd EDITION
edited by Dr. George S. Kanahele, revised and updated by John Berger
Photo
Originally published in 1979, this book was immediately recognized as the most ambitious ever written about Hawaiian music. After Dr. Kanahele's death it took John Berger a dozen years to complete this new ediiton. The book is now more than doubled in length and almost every entry has been revised and updated, with the addition of 87 new entries, a 64 page photo insert, more. Entries are arranged alphabetically, from the roots of Hawaiian music in ancient chants to the flowering of Hawaii's musical renaissance. It describes leading personalities and groups, organizations, songs and publications, and discusses the extraordinary popularity of Hawaiian music round the world. There are biographies of musicians from every period of Hawaiian musical history - from Henry Berger, David Kalakaua, Queen Lili'uokalani, and others of their time, to the great names of the 20th century. There are major articles on chant, slack key, steel guitar, 'ukulele, himeni, falsetto, Hawaiian orchestras, humor in Hawaiian music, radio, television, the recording industry, more. Definitive essays tell the story of all the ancient and modern musical instruments, and the most loved and important songs of the last 150 years. 6" x 9" 1040 pp.
769-1
$35.00
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HE WAS SINGIN' THIS SONG
by Jim Bob Tinsley, with forewords by Gene Autry, Douglas B. Green and S. Omar Barker
Photo
Book/CD pack. This lovingly researched book is a musical, pictorial and historical narrative of the Old West, featuring 48 annotated songs that are authentic examples of the popular music of the era, handed down from one cowpoke to another as they roamed the range. Features many fascinating historical photos and stories of the cowboys and their lives. The author sings 11 of the most popular songs on the accompanying CD. Winner of the outstanding "Western Music Award" from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center! Softcover. 242 pp.
available as a special order -- normally ships within 7-10 days
49-491133
$35.00
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HIDDEN IN THE MIX: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESENCE IN COUNTRY MUSIC
by Diane Pecknold
Country music's debt to African American music has long been recognized. Black musicians helped to shape the styles of many of the most important performers. The partnership between Lesley Riddle and A. P. Carter produced much of the Carter Family's repertoire; the street musician Tee Tot Payne taught a young Hank Williams Sr.; the guitar playing of Arnold Schultz influenced western Kentuckians, including Bill Monroe and Ike Everly. The contributors here examine how country music became "white," how that fictive racialization has been maintained, and how African American artists and fans have used country music to elaborate their own identities. They investigate topics as diverse as the role of race in shaping old-time record catalogues, the transracial West of the hick-hopper Cowboy Troy, and the place of U.S. country music in postcolonial debates about race and resistance. Revealing how music mediates both the ideology and the lived experience of race, "Hidden in the Mix" challenges the status of country music as "the white man's blues." 384 pp.
available for pre-order
542-404
$27.95
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HOW THE HIPPIES RUIN'T HILLBILLY MUSIC
by St. Wish Wishnevsky
Photo
"Being A Nice And Accurate Compendium Of Recollections Delineating The Old Time String Band Revival From Washington Square to 'Brother Where Art Thou.' With interviews of: Mike Seeger (New Lost City Ramblers), Roger Sprung (The Shanty Boys), Nancy Banjo Sluys (The Pilot Mountain Bobcats), Joe Thrift (The Red Hots), Tom Mylet (The Pine Knots), more. Contains Some Lies, Innocent Nudity, And Much Wisdom. Rated PG." 181 pp.
758-3
$23.95
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HOWDY, FOLKS, HOWDY, VOL. 1 - STORIES OF BILL MONROE AND THE BLUE GRASS BOYS BY THE "MEN WHO WORE THE HATS"
compiled by Doug Hutchens
Photo
Invaluable memories by the the Blue Grass Boys about Monroe. Most collected at their first reunion, they move along in an "I remember one time..." format that puts you right there at the table. A collection of stories, interviews and photographs. Art Stamper, Lonnie Hopper, Eddie Adcock and many more. 33 pp.
638-1
$6.00
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I HEAR A VOICE CALLING: A BLUEGRASS MEMOIR
by Gene Lowinger
Photo
During the final years of Bill Monroe's life, bluegrass fiddler Lowinger took a series of photos of Bill on the road. These photos and others are interwoven into Lowinger's own story of a New Jersey boy obsessed with folk and old-time music; his college trips to see Monroe and other bluegrass masters; his stints as a fiddler for the New York Ramblers, Greenbriar Boys, 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, it also testifies to the bluegrass master's profound mentorship and guidance. 75 photos, 160 pp.
542-238
$19.95
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KALAMAZOO GALS: A STORY OF EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN & GIBSON'S "BANNER" GUITARS OF WORLD WAR II
by John Thomas
Photo
The book revolves around the interviews of a dozen women who appeared in the Gibson Guitar Companys 1944 workforce photograph. Gibson had claimed in Wartime advertisements and in a 1973 company history authored by its WWII personnel director that it ceased producing guitars during the War; the younger members of its workforce had left to serve the military effort; the remaining seasoned craftsmen repaired some instruments but, because of their limited numbers and wartime restrictions on the use of raw materials, were unable to construct new musical instruments. The author, however, has discovered that the female workforce produced nearly 25,000 instruments during the war.
542-389
$21.95
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KING OF THE QUEEN CITY - THE STORY OF KING RECORDS
by Jon Hartley Fox
Photo
A comprehensive history of King Records, one of the most influential independent record companies in the history of American music. Active in virtually all genres of vernacular American music, their roster included The Stanley Brothers, James Brown, Lonnie Johnson, Freddie King, Bill Doggett, more. Label founder Syd Nathan, a brusque, cigar-chomping record man with a knack for spotting recording talent, built King to provide music by and for the "little people" the majors ignored. An early pioneer in racial integration, King was characterized by a "do it yourself" aesthetic, and the book captures a sense of the inspired mayhem that permeated King Records. Hardcover, 239 pp.
out-of-stock, more coming soon
75-69
$29.95
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LEGENDS OF THE BLUES
by William Stout, Ed Leimbacher
Photo
An acclaimed artist visualizes the best blues artists and their music with 100 stunning portraits. Hardcover.
542-400
$19.95
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LIFT EVERY VOICE: THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC
by Burton Peretti
Photo
Traces the roots of black music in Africa and slavery and its evolution in the United States from the end of slavery to the present day. The music's creators, consumers, and distributors are all part of the story. Musical genres such as spirituals, ragtime, the blues, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock, soul, and hip-hop - as well as black contributions to classical, country, and other American music forms - depict the continuities and innovations that mark both the music and the history of African Americans. 222 pp.
542-265
$24.95
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LONG STEEL RAIL: THE RAILROAD IN AMERICAN FOLKSONG
by Norm Cohen
Impeccable scholarship and lavish illustration mark this landmark study of American railroad folksong. Provides a sweeping discussion of the human aspects of railroad history, railroad folklore, and the evolution of the American folksong. The heart of the book is a detailed analysis of eighty-five songs, from "John Henry" and "The Wabash Cannonball" to "Hell-Bound Train," and "Casey Jones," with their music, sources, history, variations, and discographies. 768 pp.
available as a special order
75-11
$34.00
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LOVE IN VAIN: A VISION OF ROBERT JOHNSON
by Alan Greenberg. Foreword by Martin Scorcese
Photo
Greenberg's remarkable, highly acclaimed, and genre-defying screenplay is widely considered to be one of the foremost books on Robert Johnson's life and legacy and an extraordinary exercise in American mythmaking. Newly revised and complete with extensive historical notes on Johnson's life and the culture of the Mississippi Delta and blues music during the 1930s, "Love in Vain" is at once a classic of music writing and a screenplay whose reputation lies firmly in the realm of great American literature. Lauded by Peter Guralnick, David Lynch, Bob Dylan, Werner Herzog, Greil Marcus, more. Second edition. 214 pp.
available as a special order
542-390
$17.95
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MANDOLIN BLUES - FROM MEMPHIS TO MAXWELL STREET
by Rich DelGrosso
Photo
Book/CD pack. Travel back in time as acclaimed mandolinist Rich DelGrosso traces the story of the black mandolinist in America. Follow the lives of Yank Rachell, W. Howard Armstrong, Charlie McCoy, Vol Stevens, Will Weldon, Carl Martin, Johnny Young, and then learn their timeless music. Include rags, drags and stomps, stories from Rich's time spent with Armstrong and Rachell, a selected discography, more. CD includes all musical examples and songs. An indispensable guide to the rich history of blues mandolin. Note/tab. 80 pp.
49-695899
$19.95
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MANDOLINS, LIKE SALAMI: A HISTORY & PERSONAL MEMOIR
by Sheri Mignano Crawford
3 Photos
"Biographical Sketches of Twentieth Century Italian American Mandolinists, and a Social History of Mandolin Orchestras and Ballo Liscio Repertoire in North Beach, San Francisco and the Bay Area!" Artists and traditions come to life via this in-depth read illuminating the cultural and musical roots of a heritage the author shares. Filled with photos, and names like the Andrini Brothers, Gino Pellegrini's Aurora Mandolin Orchestra, Tony Flores, O.Di Bell, many more! 196 pp.
659-1
$27.95
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MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK: THE STORY OF THE GIRL GROUPS
CD/book package featuring the high points of one of the best periods in rock & roll history -- when the "girl groups" ruled. Four-color book with lots of photos and information. CD includes "Lollipop," "Heat Wave," "One Fine Day," "Chapel Of Love," "Leader of the Pack," "The Locomotion," more.)
out-of-stock, more coming soon
FRIED-CD181
$16.98
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PETER, PAUL AND MARY: FIFTY YEARS ON MUSIC AND LIFE
by Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, Mary Travers
Peter, Paul and Mary came into being at the dawn of John F. Kennedy's presidency, as America entered one of its most dramatic periods of social and political change. With music being one of the great forces that brought them together, Americans united in unprecedented ways to create a more just and peaceful society. Folk music, with its ability to reach people's hearts, became the sound track of this remarkable quest, and Peter, Paul and Mary become standard-bearers of American's new hopes and dreams. Hardcover, 128 pp.
available for pre-order
542-327
$24.95
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PLAY ME SOMETHING QUICK AND DEVILISH - OLD-TIME FIDDLERS IN MISSOURI
by Howard Wight Marshall
Photo
Book/CD set. Explores the heritage of traditional fiddle music in Missouri. Marshall considers the place of homemade music in people's lives across social and ethnic communities from the late 1700s to the World War I years and into the early 1920s. This complex period provided the foundations in history for the evolution of today's old-time fiddling. Hardcover, 400 pp. CD (Voyager Records) includes 39 tunes.
75-58
$29.95
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POSITIVELY 4th STREET: THE LIVES AND TIMES OF JOAN BAEZ, BOB DYLAN, MIMI BAEZ FARINA AND RICHARD FARINA
by David Hajdu
Photo
CLEARANCE PRICED! Discusses how this group of musicians gathered together in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, chronicling their rise from coffeehouse folksingers to popular icons. Reissue.
542-318
.. list $18.00 ours
$15.00
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PRETTY GOOD FOR A GIRL: WOMEN IN BLUEGRASS
by Murphy Hicks Henry
Photo
Documents the lives of 70+ women whose vibrant contributions to bluegrass have been, largely, overlooked. Organized by decade, the book begins with Sally Ann Forrester, who played with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, and continues with Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent and others. Drawing from extensive interviews, well-known banjoist Murphy Hicks Henry gives voice to women performers and innovators throughout bluegrass's history: Bessie Lee Mauldin, Wilma Lee Cooper, Roni and Donna Stoneman; as well as family bands like the Lewises and Whites; and later pathbreakers such as Laurie Lewis, The Buffalo Gals, more. Filled with anecdotal gems. 475 pp.
75-63
$29.95
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RING THE BANJAR!
by Robert Lloyd Webb
5 Photos
The banjo in America from folklore to factory. A history of the banjo. Includes many beautiful color and B&W illustrations. 2nd edition. 101 pp.
42-1
$24.95
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ROOSEVELT'S BLUES: AFRICAN-AMERICAN BLUES AND GOSPEL SONGS ON FDR
by Guido van Rijn
Photo
Prior to the long presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, black Americans largely voted Republican. To ascertain the impact on the black community of the depression, the New Deal and World War II, van Rijn analyzes the content of blues and gospel titles of the period, placing them in historical, social and political contexts. Sometimes in anger or frustration, often with irony or scepticism, and always with simplicity and economy of expression, the music transcribed and explained in this important book opens windows on the inner lives and emotions of African-Americans, giving human dimensions to the raw statistical data of 1930s sociological surveys. Lyrics, record labels, and historical photographs. Appendix includes extensive notes, a bibliography, a song index, and a discography. 292 pp.
701-6
$22.00
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SINFUL TUNES AND SPIRITUALS - BLACK FOLK MUSIC TO THE CIVIL WAR
by Dena J. Epstein
Photo
A definitive, indeed monumental, study of black slave music in America. From the plaintive tunes of woe sung by exiled kings and queens of Africa to the spirited worksongs and "shouts" of freedmen, Epstein traces the course of early black folk music in all its guises. No previous scholar has told more about the manner of diffusion of African music and dance in the New World. No one else has related with more telling effect the impact that Afro-American musical patterns had upon the sensibilities of the white public. 437 pp.
75-21
$31.00
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SOFTCOVER - RED RIVER BLUES - THE BLUES TRADITION IN THE SOUTHEAST
by Bruce Bastin
379 pp. A brilliant and exhaustive study of Afro-American secular music in the Southeast in this century. It is a broader tradition, and not the blues per se, that is being examined here. Bastin illuminates the importance of black string band traditions, balladry, music derived from minstrel and medicine show traditions as well as sacred forms not just as blues antecedents, but as significant parallel strains to blues in the repertories of many musicians up to the present.
available as a special order
75-35
$33.00
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SQUEEZE THIS! A CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE ACCORDION IN AMERICA
by Marion Jacobson
Photo
No other instrument has witnessed such a dramatic rise to popularity - and precipitous decline - as the accordion. This is the first history of the piano accordion as a uniquely American musical and cultural phenomenon. Focusing on key moments of transition, from the introduction of elaborately decorated European models imported onto the vaudeville stage and its celebration by ethnic musical communities and mainstream audiences alike, to its later denigration and novelty performances by the likes of "Weird Al" Yankovic as as well as a recent revival within contemporary cabaret acts and pop groups such as They Might Be Giants. Lots of photos, and enthusiastic performers and fans. Hardcover, 304 pp.
75-56
$29.95
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STRIKE SONGS OF THE DEPRESSION
by Timothy P. Lynch
Photo
The Depression brought unprecedented changes for American workers and organized labor. As the economy sank, employers cut wages and laid off workers, while simultaneously attempting to wrest more work from the remaining workers. In mills, mines and factories workers organized and resisted. This book examines their songs at three different strikes: the Gastonia, North Carolina, textile mill strike (1929); Harlan County, Kentucky, coal mining strike (1931-32), and Flint, Michigan, automobile sit-down strike (1936-37). The worker's songs were decidedly class-conscious, nurtured a sense of community and served to communicate and promote their message. In the songs the roles of gender were pronounced. Wives and mothers sang of concerns for home, family & children. Men sang of worker loyalty, brotherhood, championing male solidarity. 170 pp.
542-277
$25.00
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SURF BEAT - ROCK 'N' ROLL'S FORGOTTEN REVOLUTION
by Kent Crowley
Photo
The first book to tell the story of the birth of surf music, and its persistent survival and reinvention in the face of decades of dismissal. Conventional wisdom posits that rock 'n' roll languished between 1959 and 1963. Yet in that four-year stretch a musical revolution took place in Southern California that would influence all electric guitar forms that followed. They called it surf music, and in Surf Beat, the genre finally gets its day in the sun. Surf music authority and author Kent Crowley uncovers the story of the initial emergence of surf music as first a local, then a national and international phenomenon, and its subsequent waves of popularity through the ensuing decades. 256 pp.
49-333078
$19.99
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SWEET AIR: MODERNISM, REGIONALISM, AND AMERICAN POPULAR SONG
by Edward P. Comentale
Photo
Tracking the evolution of popular regional genres such as blues, country, folk, and rockabilly in relation to the growth of industry and consumer culture. Comentale shows how this music became a vital means of exploring the new and often overwhelming feelings brought on by modern life. He examines these rural genres as they translated the traumas of local experience - the racial violence of the Delta, the mass exodus from the South, The Dust Bowl of the Texas panhandle - into sonic form. He asserts the value of music as a source of progressive cultural investment, linking poor, rural performers and audiences to an increasingly vast network of commerce, transportation, and technology. 281 pp.
542-396
$28.00
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THE 'UKULELE: A HISTORY
by John King & Jim Tranquada
Photo
Drawing on a wealth of previously untapped sources, this book tells the surprising story of how an obscure four-string folk guitar from Portugal became the national instrument of Hawai'i, of its subsequent rise and fall from international cultural phenomenon to "the Dangerfield of instruments," and of the resurgence in popularity (and respect) it is currently enjoying among musicians from Thailand to Finland. The book shows how the technologies of successive generations (recorded music, radio, television, the Internet) have played critical roles in popularizing the 'ukulele. Famous composers and entertainers (Queen Liliuokalani, Irving Berlin, Arthur Godfrey, Paul McCartney, SpongeBob SquarePants) and writers (Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, P. G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie) wind their way through its history, as well as a host of outstanding Hawaiian musicians (Ernest Kaai, George Kia Nahaolelua, Samuel K. Kamakaia, Henry A. Peelua Bishaw). In telling the story of the 'ukulele, Tranquada and King also present a sweeping history of modern Hawaiian music that spans more than two centuries, beginning with the introduction of western melody and harmony by missionaries to the Hawaiian music renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s. Softcover. 282 pp., 62 illustrations.
116-2
.. list $20.99 ours
$16.50
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THE 'UKULELE: A HISTORY
by John King & Jim Tranquada
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Drawing on a wealth of previously untapped sources, this book tells the surprising story of how an obscure four-string folk guitar from Portugal became the national instrument of Hawai'i, of its subsequent rise and fall from international cultural phenomenon to "the Dangerfield of instruments," and of the resurgence in popularity (and respect) it is currently enjoying among musicians from Thailand to Finland. The book shows how the technologies of successive generations (recorded music, radio, television, the Internet) have played critical roles in popularizing the 'ukulele. Famous composers and entertainers (Queen Liliuokalani, Irving Berlin, Arthur Godfrey, Paul McCartney, SpongeBob SquarePants) and writers (Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, P. G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie) wind their way through its history, as well as a host of outstanding Hawaiian musicians (Ernest Kaai, George Kia Nahaolelua, Samuel K. Kamakaia, Henry A. Peelua Bishaw). In telling the story of the 'ukulele, Tranquada and King also present a sweeping history of modern Hawaiian music that spans more than two centuries, beginning with the introduction of western melody and harmony by missionaries to the Hawaiian music renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s. Hardcover. 282 pp., 62 illustrations.
116-3
$45.00
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THE BANJO ENTERTAINERS: ROOTS TO RAGTIME, A BANJO HISTORY
by Lowell H. Schreyer
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Focuses on the hundreds of banjoists who made their living as professional entertainers from the minstrel period of the early 1800's into the ragtime era leading into the 20th Century. Also touches on related areas in the banjos development. Schreyer, a former newspaper reporter, relied heavily on the products of his profession in tracing careers and performing routes of these banjoists through pre-Civil War newspapers, entertainment journals and later fretted instrument periodicals. Also a player of the banjo, Schreyer has a lifetime of research that built a banjo information database, as well as a plethora of previous writings about the banjo. 151 photos & illustrations. 269 pp.
on order, expected arrival date 06/20/13
692-1
$35.00
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THE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC ALL AROUND US: FIELD RECORDINGS AND THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
by Stephen Wade
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Book/CD set. Takes as its starting point thirteen iconic performances captured on Library of Congress field recordings between 1934 and 1942, in locations reaching from Southern Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta and onto the Great Plains. Through decades of research Wade tracked down surviving performers and their families, fellow musicians, and community members. Weaving together loving and expert profiles of these performers with the histories of these songs and tunes, Stephen brings to life largely unheralded individuals: farm laborers, state prisoners, school children, cowboys, housewives, miners - whose music has become part of the wider American musical soundscape. By exploring how these singers and instrumentalists exerted their own creativity on inherited forms, "amplifying tradition's gifts," Stephen shows how a single artist can make a difference within a democracy. Hardcover. 504 pp.
75-57
$24.95
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THE BIRTH OF THE BANJO: JOEL WALKER SWEENEY AND EARLY MINSTRELSY
by Bob Carlin
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Sweeney was, in essence, the Elvis Presley of the 1840s. He introduced mainstream America to a music and an instrument - the banjo. Sweeney, an Irish-American, sampled African-American music at a young age. He then added more traditional sounds, creating a new form. The only avenue then available to a professional banjo player was the minstrel show, which Sweeney used. The book provides an overview of early banjo music, beginning with the banjo's introduction to America and Great Britain. Correcting previous fallacies (such as Sweeney's supposed development of the five-string banjo), the work discusses Sweeney's roots, music and contribution to the physical development of the instrument. Appendix with performance chronology. 193 pp.
out-of-stock, more coming soon
542-154
$35.00
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THE CHITLIN' CIRCUIT: AND THE ROAD TO ROCK 'N' ROLL
by Preston Lauterbach
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Combining firsthand reporting with historical research, this provides a musical history of the birth of rock 'n' roll in the black juke joints where James Brown and B.B. King got their start. 320 pp.
542-316
$16.95
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THE CREOLIZATION OF AMERICAN CULTURE: WILLIAM SIDNEY MOUNT AND THE ROOTS OF BLACKFACE MINSTRELSY
by Christopher J. Smith
Examines the artworks, letters, sketchbooks & music collection of painter William Sidney Mount as a lens through which to see the multiethnic antebellum world that gave birth to blackface minstrelsy. Discusses how rivers, waterfronts, and other sites of interracial interaction shaped musical practices by transporting culture from the South to North and back. The "Africanization" of Anglo-Celtic tunes created minstrelsy's musical "creole synthesis," a body of melodic and rhythmic vocabularies, repertoires, tunes, and musical techniques that became the foundation of American popular music. Hardcover, 352 pp. Release date 09/05/2013
available as a special order
75-70
$60.00
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THE HIGH AND LONESOME SOUND: THE LEGACY OF ROSCOE HOLCOMB
by John Cohen
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The author shares his decades-long efforts to record and promote the music of a backwoods Kentucky singer and banjo player, in a multimedia presentation that includes text, photos, film and musical recordings.
out-of-stock, more coming soon
542-355
$58.00
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THE NEVER-ENDING REVIVAL: ROUNDER RECORDS AND THE FOLK ALLIANCE
by Michael F. Scully
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Focusing on folk music since the 1950s, Scully analyzes the intrinsic contradictions of a commercialized folk culture. Both Rounder Records and the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance have sought to make folk music widely available, while simultaneously respecting its defining traditions and unique community. By tracing the history of these organizations, Scully examines the ongoing controversy surrounding the profitability of folk music. He explores the lively debates about the difficulty of making commercially accessible music, honoring tradition, and remaining artistically relevant, all without "selling out." 259 pp.
75-62
$28.00
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THE ROAD TO ROBERT JOHNSON - THE GENESIS AND EVOLUTION OF BLUES IN THE DELTA FROM THE LATE 1800s THROUGH 1938
by Edward Komara
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A long-awaited and well-researched book that makes a plausible case for how Johnson became a great guitar player without satanic assistance. Komara traces the development of Johnson's music in light of the people and songs that directly and indirectly influenced him. Includes much information about life in the Delta from the late 1800s to Johnson's controversial death in 1938, and features fascinating historical photos, musical examples, and much more. Required reading for all blues fans! Note/tab. 91 pp.
49-695388
$14.95
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THE SOUTHERN JOURNEY OF ALAN LOMAX: WORDS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND MUSIC
by Alan Lomax & Tom Piazza
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Book/CD set. What a great collection! Presents photos taken of folk musicians in the southern backcountry by the renowned ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax; both legendary and anonymous musicians honing their crafts at home, at church and in the field. Includes essays on Lomax's life by disciple William Ferris, and Grammy-Award winning music writer Tom Piazza. Fascinating notes on each of the 12 songs on the CD. Recommended! Hardcover. 135 pp.
542-376
$35.00
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THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND: WOODY GUTHRIE AND THE JOURNEY OF AN AMERICAN FOLK SONG
by Robert Santelli
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With more than 40 rare photos from the Woody Guthrie archives, removable poster and original interviews with many music icons, an account of the creation of America's most celebrated folk song also details Guthrie's journey for Oklahoma to New York City in 1940. Hardcover, 221 pp.
542-356
$24.00
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UKULELE NATION: THE POETRY OF UKE
by Lil' Rev
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Not really a songbook but a 64-page back pocket reader for the uke enthusiast, from author, storyteller and award-winning ukulele master Lil' Rev! The story of ukulele legend, lore and revival in poetry, essay and humor.
158-79
$10.00
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WILL YOU MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE: THE CARTER FAMILY AND THEIR LEGACY IN AMERICAN MUSIC
by Mark Zwonitzer with Charles Hirshberg
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We were glued to this book! This story is a saga of "...love and fulfillment, sadness and loss." It reads like a well-written novel of another time and place. The first major biography of the Carter Family, the musical pioneers who almost single-handedly established the sounds and traditions that grew into modern folk, country, and bluegrass music. Recommended! Softcover. 417 pp.
542-100
$16.99
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WOODY GUTHRIE, AMERICAN RADICAL
by Will Kaufman
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Reclaims the politically radical profile of America's greatest balladeer. Kaufman traces Guthrie's political awakening and activism throughout the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Civil Rights struggle, and the poison of McCarthyism. He examines Guthrie's role in the development of a workers' culture in the context of radical activism spearheaded by the Communist Party of the USA, the Popular Front, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. He also establishes Guthrie's significance in the perpetuation of cultural front objectives into the era of the "New Left" and beyond, particularly through his influence on the American and international protest song movement. Kaufman utilizes a wealth of new archival materials. Hardcover, 270 pp.
75-61
$29.95
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Folklore & Music History
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