Don't Get above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class (Music in American Life) [Hardcover]

Bill C Malone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 2001 | Series: Music in American Life

Combining a high-spirited history of country music's roots with vivid portraits of its principal performers, "Don't Get above Your Raisin'" examines the close relationship between 'America's truest music' and the working-class culture that has constituted its principal source, nurtured its development, and provided its most dedicated supporters. Widely recognized as country music's ranking senior authority, Bill C. Malone explores how the music's defining themes (home and family, religion, rambling, frolic, humor, and politics) have emerged out of the particularities of working people's day-to-day lives. He traces the many contradictory voices and messages of a music that simultaneously extols the virtues of home and the joys of rambling, the assurances of the Christian life and the ecstasies of hedonism, the strength of working-class life and the material lure of middle-class aspirations. The resulting tensions, Malone argues, are a principal source of the music's enduring appeal.Country musicians have often been people from undistinguished blue-collar backgrounds who have tried to make their way as entertainers in a society that has little respect for the working class. From this ambivalent position, they have voiced the sometimes contradictory values and longings of their culture while also attempting to fulfill the romantic expectations of outsiders. 'For every Garth Brooks', Malone says, 'there are a thousand country musicians who perform in local bars, taverns, and American Legion halls and who have never been able to 'give up their day jobs'. These are musicians whose middle-class dreams are tempered by working-class realities'. A powerful and honest expression of the hopes, longings, frailties, and failings of ordinary people, country music increasingly resonates with listeners beyond its core constituency as they struggle with a complex and uncertain world.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author of books like Singing Cowboys and Musical Mountaineers, Malone (history, emeritus, Tulane Univ.) here presents a lucid study of the relationship between country music and the Southern working class. Delving into the history and sociology of such topics as country humor, the relationships between country music and politics, the urbanization of the South, and the contradictory tendencies in country music toward religion and rambling, Malone covers much ground. He obviously loves the music and understands its relationship to the people who originally gave it life. The casual fan of country music, especially contemporary commercial country music, might not find much of interest present-day "hat acts" have relatively little to do with Malone's subject but readers looking to go beyond today's stars and into the very heart and soul of the music will not be disappointed. Essential for anyone interested in a well-grounded and -researched overview of the topic, this thoughtful book is highly recommended for all public and academic libraries, especially those with strong popular culture collections. James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A lucid study of the relationship between country music and the Southern working class... [Malone] obviously loves the music and understands its relationship to the people who originally gave it life... Readers looking to go beyond today's stars and into the very heart and soul of the music will not be disappointed. Essential for anyone interested in a well-grounded and researched overview of the topic, this thoughtful book is highly recommended." -- Library Journal "Adds significantly to an understanding of the music's nuanced history... The author deftly explores a range of topics: country music's rural roots and dreams; its complicated connection both to conservative working class and Christian values and to rambling men and hell-raisers; its dance-based popularity; its extensive use of musical and performance comedy; and its generally patriotic slant... Very highly recommended." -- Choice "A spirited and informative history of country music connects the music to the people who listen to it, tracing its evolution among the nation's 'working class.'" -- Forecast "The most worthwhile book about country music in general to come my way in quite a while." -- Keith Briggs, Blues & Rhythm "Malone has now written the best and most comprehensive study of [country music]. Don't Get above Your Raisin' is an appealing, personal, and thorough examination of the social and musical background of country music from its precursors until close to the present." -- Ted Ownby, North Carolina Historical Review "The work of a master historian fully in command of his subject, brimming with knowledge of the music and performers, and full of insight into the historical meaning of both." -- Don H. Doyle, Business History "Exhaustively researched and elegantly written, Don't Get Above Your Raisin' investigates the roots and evolution of American country music- locating the uniqueness of the music in its ability to speak to the needs and frustrations of generations of southern working folk. ... In the final analysis, Don't Get Above Your Raisin' is a fascinating book written by a first-rate scholar who has lived and absorbed much of the topic both inside and outside the realm of academe. His ability and willingness to share some of that life with us makes us the richer." -- James R. Goff, Jr., Georgia Historical Quarterly "Malone's research is as meticulous as his narrative is passionate. ... Malone does not merely report; his interpretation reveals a lifelong immersion in the music's message, which began on a cotton tenant farm in Depression-era Texas. The result is a celebration of country music as culture, as dear to neo-Confederates as it is to the teenage fans of Alabama and Billy Ray Cyrus." --Indiana Magazine of History ADVANCE PRAISE: "Bill Malone has the rare gift of being able to evaluate a culture from within, to make it live and breathe even as he dissects it with great precision. His knowledge is encyclopedic, his range incredible, and his work distinguished by an intensely appealing human quality." -- James Cobb, author of Redefining Southern Culture: Mind and Identity in the Modern South

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (December 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252026780
• ISBN-13: 978-0252026782
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, beautiful work, March 10, 2002

By 

Charles Hughes (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Get above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class (Music in American Life) (Hardcover)

Mr. Malone, whose long and distinguished career has secured him a place as the world's foremost country music historian, has once again hit one straight out of the park. Rich with both remarkable detail and cogent analysis, the book is a tresure for anyone who cares about country/bluegrass, roots music, or the general American experience. Truly an outstanding work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the reason for country music, January 30, 2010

By 

K. Lawson "cowgirl & book lover" (Kill Devil Hills, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Don't Get above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class (Music in American Life) (Paperback)

The author of this book was very detailed and thorough in his research. Country music as a genre has grown tremendously since its beginning and personally I'm not sure it's all for the best. This is country music as it's meant to be, where it all started, with the working class (i.e., those that didn't have much if anything, and who were raised on the Bible) from the South. I enjoyed it immensely!

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Get Above Your Rasian, October 26, 2007

By 

Lloyd R. Holzwarth - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Get above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class (Music in American Life) (Hardcover)

Great Book and Amazon delivered every thing that they promised. Would use them again any thing they sold some thing I wanted. Thanks.