Dreaming Out Loud:: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, And The Changing Face Of Nashville (Paperback)

~ Bruce Feiler (Author) "At what should have been a crowning moment in his career, Garth Brooks made a rare misstep..." (more)
Key Phrases: Garth Brooks, Music Row, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Feiler is a Southerner who grew up distancing himself from "hillbilly" country music. After spending several years abroad, he returned to the South and soon embraced the "new" country music. One hopes that his first book on country music is not his last, for he is a savvy author and journalist who can sort through misconceptions about country music and analyze the historical background with a clarity that other writers sometimes lack. Here he concentrates on the careers of Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, and Wade Hayes to show what it takes to get to the top in Nashville's country music world. For balance in a collection, Feiler's book belongs with Dan Daley's Nashville's Unwritten Rules: Inside the Business of the Country Music Machine (LJ 12/97). Highly recommended for country music collections.
-?Kathleen Sparkman, Baylor Univ. Lib., Waco, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From The Washington Post

"Well written and meticulously researched. . .essential reading for anyone who cares about American music."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (April 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380794705
• ISBN-13: 978-0380794706
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #656,971 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Captivating, but highly sensational..., September 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dreaming Out Loud: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, and the Changing Face of Nashville (Hardcover)

O.k. here goes. I thought this book was tremendously captivating and informative. It shows a different side of two of the more super-superstars and also the hard knocks that a newcomer faces in the music business via Wade Hayes. I almost didn't read this book, simply because the artists had spoken out so much about how they didn't recommend it and did not approve of it. But, I think that every true fan of country music and even those who don't care for it so much, will get alot of useful and entertaining information from it. Alot of the outerworkings of the business, as well as behind the scenes accounts of the tabloids were what I believe to be the best part of the book. I am a dedicated Wynonna fan and after reading this book, have found that many things that were confusing before reading it, are not so confusing now: Strains between the Judds when they said everything was fine, about Wynonna's biological father, her suicide attempt after Naomi threw her out of the house. All very interesting reading and seems to have a "truth" ring to it.

However, I do advise that this book does have a sensational aspect to it. Feiler covers Garth Brooks and Wynonna at times that were tumultuous and very busy for the performers. But, it does give those who know very little about the business aspect of the music business, an insiders view on the workings of such.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars +1/2 stars -- Fascinating portrait of country music business, January 7, 2003

By	hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Feiler's book is ostensibly a portrait of three modern country artists, Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd and Wade Hayes. And though he provides interesting portraiture of all three, what he really documents - using the three artists as vehicles - is the changing business of the country music industry, and by association, the broader changes wrought by and to American media and culture. It's a well-written volume, with some illuminating conclusions, fleshed out by first-hand observations the author made in and around Nashville.

Much has been made of Feiler's veracity, but, to a large degree, his larger theses are independent of the specifics. Brooks and Judd have each taken their digs at Feiler (the latter being more surprising, since Feiler's portrait of Judd is, ultimately, quite flattering), so one might take his biography of their lives with a grain of salt. Even so, his conclusions about Nashville's changing face, both musically and operationally, are usually spot-on.

The Cliff's Notes rendition of Feiler's work focuses on his portraiture of the three principals: Garth Brooks as an obsessive careerist who only finds joy during his time on stage, Wynonna Judd as the screwed-up (but ultimately triumphant) result of a screwed-up childhood brought upon her by the most heinous of mothers, and Wade Hayes as the naïf, making his way through a hurricane of market forces. By threading these three stories with history of Nashville's business, the reader sees how the threads of art and commerce have intertwined over the years, with commerce realizing a substantial choke-hold on artistry in the '90s.

Of particular interest is Feiler's description of the symbiosis between artists, labels and radio. The manipulations of hit single charts, the conniving for chart position (and the lurid world of not-exactly-payola that fuels it), the trading of accurate charts for those that can be "influenced" is eye-opening for those outside the industry. Feiler's discussion about various trends in country music, the rise of women signaled, in part, by the Judd's supremacy, the displacement of Wynonna by the sex-appeal of Shania, and the replacement of earlier artists by a new wave, are all very compelling.

The book is weighted towards reporting on Garth Brooks, which isn't necessarily a negative, since his is the most complex portrait, and Feiler finds his greatest insights in Brooks' rise and plateau. On the negative side, parts of this book were previously published as magazine articles, and there is some unnecessary repetition. The careful reader will wonder whether Feiler's editor actually read the entire book through.

Feiler is a fine writer, and has provided a unique portrait of Nashville through the peak of its '90s supremacy. Whether or not you believe the details he reports on his principal subjects, there's a deep ring of truth in his analyses.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very in-depth look at the business of country music, May 24, 1998

By	Sunstorm (TARPON SPRINGS, FLORIDA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreaming Out Loud: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, and the Changing Face of Nashville (Hardcover)

Although Garth Brooks, Wynonna and Wade Hayes are featured in the title of this book, the real key figure is the business that is country music, particularly in Nashville. Feiler uses these three artists as a jumping off point for a sometimes seemingly tangential look at the origins and growth of country music and its effects on pop culture, the city of Nashville and the music industry in general. For true country music fans, as well as those interested in the sociology of music, it is a must read. It sometimes feels a little intense, but it is a well-written tome. Unlike a recent predecessor, it does not aim to be an "inside scoop" on the stars, and is not as eager to highlight flaws. Feiler's writing appears much more objective.