Customer Reviews

The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock: New Edition (Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture)

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Jan Reid's excellent update of his previously published work is a must-read for any fans of the Texas country music scene, both present and past. Reid updates his book with added chapters and descriptive passages, tracing the development of the sounds and styles that have virtually defined Texas music. This is as much a work of Texana as it is a musical history. It's important writing, and it carries significant cultural weight behind it.

Reid's writing is much like the characters that he writes about. Rambling, disjointed at times, occasionally losing track of a theme or a story, but always interesting. Virtually all of the seminal Texas cosmic cowboys are profiled here, from the early years of Doug Sahm and the 13th Floor Elevators, to Willis Alan Ramsey, Michael Martin Murphey, Kinky Friedman, and many more. Reid's updated material profiles the modern-day inheritors of the style, such as Robert Earl Keen, Charlie Robison, and Jimmy LaFave. Reid even covers the blues influence, with good source material on Marcia Ball, and the immortal Steve Ray Vaughn.

If you're a fan of this music, get this book. If you're wanting to know what Austin was like back when it was still a smallish college town and a haven for redneck hippies, get this book. If you want to know about the music that has provided a background soundtrack for the lifestyle of many Texans, get this book. It's the real deal. Every music fan in Austin should own a copy.

This book focuses a lot on the people behind the scenes who made the clubs happen in Austin and some folks who didn't make it to the big time. An extraordinary local history, probably a tad windy for those only interested in the music.

This is THE book. I could not put it down. Every page was a jolt for someone who has listened to this music since 1974 or so. The newer added chapters at the end cover Robert Earl Keen and some newer artists. Just an amazing book about Austin music and everything you need to know about the difference between Nashville country and real American music.