Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost [Hardcover]

Tony Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2007

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 have drawn 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, Chris Bouchillon, 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 magazine articles, 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 essays are 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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Long before Hank Williams, Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson, a passel of performers, mostly white men born in the South in the late 19th or early 20th centuries, loaded up old-time country music from its dirt road origins and hauled their songs into town in the new era of sound recording. They were an odd lot of farmers, mill workers, policemen, preachers, politicians, hell-raisers, cowboys and blind men, all dyed-in-the-wool characters who were the first to put what was initially called hillbilly music on vinyl. Take, for instance, A.C. Eck Robertson, born in 1887, who allegedly used a gourd with horse hair for strings as his first fiddle and went on to make what is believed to be the very first country music record in June 1922. Russell (Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921–1942) writes profiles of 110 such performers that sparkle with detail, often hilarious but just as often heartbreaking. A few of the performers covered—Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, Gene Autry, Roy Acuff, Bob Wills and Ernest Tubb—were extremely popular and prosperous, but many more fell on hard times after the music stopped. Some succumbed to tragedy, such as Walter Coon, who effectively ended his music career when he cut off the tip of his index finger while working with a biscuit-cutting machine at his bakery job. Russell has accomplished a spectacular feat in that he has written an thorough reference book that is as pleasing to read as the best of narrative nonfiction. (Nov.)
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Review

"Country Music Originals combines Tony Russell's encyclopedic knowledge of country music with a lively and matchless prose style. Russell brings to life the work of both major artists and obscure figures whose important contributions might well have been lost were it not for his voluminous research and penetrating insights. It's a stunning achievement, perhaps the best book yet written on the subject."--Nolan Porterfield, author of Jimmie Rodgers: The Life and Times of America's Blue Yodeler

"Few people alive know as much about the early history of country music as Tony Russell does. Even fewer can write as engagingly about it. In these concise portraits of country music's pioneers, he brings America's musical past to life, revealing such dimly remembered figures as Uncle Jimmy Thompson and Charlie Poole as the living, breathing, creative, and complicated characters they once were. Thoroughly entertaining and indispensable for fans of early country and roots music."--Paul Kingsbury, editor of Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Country Music in America and The Encyclopedia of Country Music

"Tony Russell is today's pre-eminent country music historian. His exhaustive research and congenially articulate writings have bequeathed much of what we know about the music and those who made it. Reading Country Music Originals has been lots of fun, and I know a lot more now than I did before I opened it."--Dick Spottswood

"Russell has accomplished a spectacular feat in that he has written a thorough reference book that is as pleasing to read as the best of narrative nonfiction." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195325095
• ISBN-13: 978-0195325096
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent reference resource for collectors of American popular music., December 11, 2007

By 

Paul Tognetti "The real world is so much more... (Cranston, RI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost (Hardcover)

As someone who has been studying and collecting American popular music for more than four decades now I am always on the lookout for new resources to add to my knowledge and understanding of this music. I am quite excited to report that the London based music historian Tony Russell has come up with a real gem with his splendid new book "Country Music Originals: The Legends and the The Lost". This book is a virtual treasure trove of information for anyone who is interested in the origins of the genre that would eventually evolve into what we now call country music.

I am in complete agreement with another reviewer who indicated that for most collectors and country music afficianados "Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost" is probably more appropriate as a reference volume. As a cover to cover read I found that the book could become a bit tedious at times. But having said that I learned an awful lot about the early history of country music in this volume. Tony Russell introduces his readers to a whole host of colorful and quirky vocalists, duets, fiddlers, stringbands and groups that would make an indelible mark in the development of this genre. You have to love the names of some of these artists. There is Fiddlin' John Carson, The Skillet-Lickers, The Carolina Tar Heels, Dr. Smith's Champion Hoss Hair Pullers, The Georgia Yellow Hammers, Light Crust Doughboys and Lulu Belle and Scotty to name but a few. Now some of those featured in "Country Music Originals" were regional acts who were popular for a relatively short period of time. Others would go on to long and prosperous careers in the music business. All in all, Tony Russell offers up essays on more than 100 artists who made a name for themselves in the period from about 1926 when this music was in its infancy until the late 1950's or early 1960's. Russell also presents revealing portraits of some of the better known figures in early country music such as Vernon Dalhart, Bradley Kincaid, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff. And of course no book about the history of country music would be complete without a close look at the careers of legendary figures Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter family. It is positively fascinating to discover how this music has evolved over the decades. In addition, the text is sprinkled with more than 200 rare photos and illustrations depicting many of the artists being discussed as well as images of some of the actual record labels, newspaper clippings and advertisements from the period. I found that this material greatly enhanced my enjoyment of this book. It was also quite interesting to learn how many of the earliest recordings were done. In the middle to late 1920's it was fairly common for the three major record companies of this period, namely Victor, Columbia and Gennett to send recording equipment directly to towns like Bristol, Tenn. in search of promising new artists to record. This is precisely how both Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family and dozens of other important acts of this period were discovered. It was certainly a much different world in those days!

As I indicated earlier "Country Music Originals: The Legends and The Lost" succeeds more as a reference volume than as a narrative. I plan to add a copy to my library in the very near future. This is a book that I am likely to refer to again and again in future years. There is so much new information in this book about the rich heritage of country music that I simply have not seen anywhere else. A well thought out and nicely done project! Highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable history of early country music, January 19, 2008

By 

Hoyle Osborne "jane&hoyle" (Aztec, NM United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost (Hardcover)

Tony Russell is one of the finest writers in the field of early recorded country music and blues. He has spent decades researching the facts about the artists and listening to the historic recordings. Now, with "Country Music Originals," he shares with us his synthesis of all this knowledge on the subject of old-time country music.
Russell writes true criticism, based on his extraordinarily rich and deep listening experience. He is articulate in spelling out the reasons he finds one artist's work compelling and another's pedestrian. He writes with enthusiasm about several artists I've never heard, and so now I'm seeking out their recordings.
Mind you, I know just enough about this music, and have just enough listening experience of my own, that I have my occasional quibbles with Russell's facts and opinions. That's only to be expected when it comes to discussing art. I thoroughly enjoy my mental conversations and arguments with someone as articulate and knowledgeable as Russell.
Why, oh, why is there no index? There isn't even an alphabetical listing of the 100+ articles. Since they are, quite reasonably, organized chronologically, in order to find a particular artist, I have to take a guess as to when they first recorded -- information I'm not nearly so in touch with as is Russell. The indexes are part of what make Gunther Schuller's definitive jazz history books ("Early Jazz" and "The Swing Era") so great and useful. Those indexes cover every single mention of every musician, composer, and song.
The discographies in "Country Music Originals" are superb. They're compact, yet very informative, covering most of the currently-available CDs of old-time music. On my first reading of the book, I kept noticing one particular JSP anthology that includes many of the artists I find most interesting. So that set moved to the top of my shopping list. I've also been stimulated to go back to my collection to take another listen to particular artists and tracks Russell comments on.
Printing booklets is an expensive component of CDs, so most of the old-time music reissues come with rather inadequate texts. "Country Music Originals" complements these discs beautifully, giving much richer (and better-written) information, enhancing both our enjoyment and our understanding of the recordings.
This is a valuable addition to the limited library of serious writing on old-time country music. -- Hoyle Osborne

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have for Old Time Music Fans, July 2, 2008

By 

A. Herrmann "guitar music addict" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost (Hardcover)

An excellent work for hard core fans of old time and pre-Nashville Country music. Russell's research is comprehensive and he has a very accessible writing style. The book, as others have noted, is really not designed for a cover-to-cover read but makes a great night stand book where you can read a biography or two before bed. I also recommend two JSP box sets, Mountain Blues and Serenade in the Mountains, where works by many of the covered artisits can be heard. Now if only I could find a comparable work for pre-war blues artists...