Customer Reviews

My Country: The African Diaspora's Country Music Heritage

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

 

 

A great book telling a story I have always been curious about.When I found out that something like 25% of of the black American radio audience listened to country music I have to admit I was both surprised and yet I wasn't.Country music was always a "adult" music and as is stated in the book,black Americans have not just contributed styles and techniques but have also been practioners of the form.Foster introduces the reader to various people, from people who work in the industry(DJ's,promo people etc..)to musicians and even fans.I have to admit the only black country singers I'd ever heard were Charley Pride (obviously)and Stoney Edwards(fantastic)until I heard the CD box devoted to black country musicians called "FROM WHERE I STAND".The singer LaMelle Prince was a stand out for me.Now my curiosity has been aroused I'm going to try and get some of the singers that sounded interesting. Two points 1)Now that a book has been written about the influence of black music on Country,when will some politically in-correct, non-liberal type write a book on the influence of various European musics on black music.There are hundreds of books written about black American music forms showing its relationships to African styles and rhythms yet no one seems to have bothered to research the influence from the other side as author Barney Hoskyns' classic book on soul music with a country flavour"SAY IT ONE TIME FOR THE BROKENHEARTED"

(newly reprinted-get this,if you like this book) states on one page,it seems too contentious a topic for an impeccably liberal musicologist to research and write about,black musicians are deified,white country musicians are bumpkins and rednecks who steal,yet black musicians who played music of an Anglo-Celtic or European style were great musicians who adapted to a awful situation (slavery)not that they may have actually enjoyed playing the music not counting their enslaved position in society of the time. 2)It was heart warming to read about a "young star in the making",a 13 yr old girl who wants to be a country singer.I really hope she makes it. Foster has done a great service to all the people and fans of country music in the black community who have followed their love of a style of music that has never been thought to have been their own but as she has shown can proudly claim their own as much as anyone.Country music is not just "white"music,it is an "AMERICAN" music as this book proudly shows.This book deserves a wider audience,Foster has self-published this effort,but it deserves publishing by a major publishing house to expose to a larger audience,I only found it here at Amazon.com by accident.Lucky Me !