Customer Reviews

In the Country of Country: People and Places in American Music

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An enjoyable book, if not an indispensable one, where we learn about some of the roots of our marvelous American country music tree.

The author has a clear respect for this music, and to understand it better, spent much time with some of its legends and traveled to their childhood homes to talk with friends and neighbors. Young fans of modern Country might not even recognize some of these legends: Harlan Howard (the great songwriter); Bill Monroe; Ralph Stanley; Earl Scruggs; Buck Owens; Emmylou Harris (one of my ten Deserted Island Music favorites); Doc Watson; Iris Dement; and others.

Not a scholarly reference, it's only until you get to the Notes at the end of the book to realize how deeply the author seeped himself in his subject. His sources list many books, articles and videos, as well as many interviews.

Remarkably, this young man, in his early 30s, a Harvard grad and raised in Connecticut (yeah, maybe southern Connecticut) was made welcome by so many who were so different. Maybe even more remarkable is that not until almost the book's end does he offhandedly say, in describing how one musician led him to another, "I met Emmylou Harris at Harlan's birthday party. Emmylou then took me along to Bill Monroe's birthday party. And so it went."

To have Emmylou Harris take you to a party and not tell anybody about it until page 315 ... now, that's class. As well as to have interviewed Paul Simon and Bob Dylan, and we learn it deep in the Notes, not on the cover.

My only complaint (and why rated 4 stars, not 5) is in the artists the author chose to include and those he chose not to. I've never been a fan of George Jones the singer, and after reading about George Jones the person, think even less of him. I wish many more pages had been given to Emmylou Harris, and that Ricky Skaggs and Willie Nelson had been profiled, not just interviewed. In truth, country music has so many legends, it's hard to know where to begin in listing omissions. There's another book here waiting to be written.

I started the book knowing what it was about but not knowing which artists would be profiled. After starting it, I couldn't wait to get to bed at night, not knowing who would be next ("Will he do Emmylou? YES!), but knowing this book would be waiting by the reading lamp for a brief time into another place.

Interesting, at times well written account of the current real names in country music. Honest and truthful description of some well-known heroes: Monroe, Stanley (I didn't know Carter drank himself to death!), Cash and Haggard. Although, the map on the overleaf is incorrect which makes me wonder if some of the text isn't as well (Rosine is southwest of Louisville, not southeast). Also, he doesn't talk about Bob Wills or any of the Western Swing genre, except for a quick (sensational) reference to Spade Cooleys murderin' his wife (although I thought he stabbed her, not kicked her to death, as the author indicates).