Customer Reviews

Pressing On: The Roni Stoneman Story (Music in American Life)

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

 

 

Sometimes "as told to" is a euphemism for "ghost written by." This is clearly not the case with the felicitous collaboration between storyteller-musician Roni Stoneman and writer, Ellen Wright in Pressing On. Roni is the daughter of the legendary Ernest Stoneman, who among other accomplishments organized the Bristol Sessions that in 1927 recorded musical greats including the Carter family and Jimmie Rogers. Roni's life story is also a story of Appalachian music in American culture. She is a virtuoso banjo player, an actress and a natural storyteller. In Roni's oral tradition, every story she knows connects to every other. Ellen Wright adroitly brings out Roni's narrative voice in a way that makes sense to the reader, while remaining true to the oral tradition. Pressing On a good read as well as being the amazing history of an America that has largely passed from lived experience into history. Together, Roni and Ellen bring that history back to life.

This book is written in a conversational autobiography and has thestrengths and limitation of this genre. This can provide a more told too feeling than stories rewritten by a "ghost writer" rather then transcribed. An excellent example of this is found in the autobiography of Bluesman Honeyboy Edwards. With the use of written dialect you can feel Honeyboy is is the room with you , swapping tales. I expect this autobiography was similarly written, but with more editing.
This book is a map of a Women's Journeyfilled with hardship and abuse. As such, I would give it four stars, but I had hope for a more detailed musical autobiography than provided . When she discussed the Stoneman Family we are treated to the tragic life of her brother, and the poverty of the family rather than a discussion of their music. For this information there is Ivan Tribe's book on the Stonesman's, but I had hoped for more of an "inside" look at her days with the family and her solo career. When she does give us some information it is usually within a core story of abuse or being taken advantage of as in the case of her time with "Hee Haw."
Depending on what story you want to read about this book is recommended or not.

I happened to read The Stonemans: An Appalachian Family and the Music That Shaped Their Lives (Music in American Life) by Ivan M. Tribe (1993) a great book about this epic family of country music. The star of that book was Roni Stoneman, especially the stories of her bad luck with men. So I devoured this book, which is a nice companion to Tribe's masterwork. The stories are harrowing and funny and you will be reading parts of it out loud. Plus, she knew everybody in country music when they were nobodies. But she's no saint, and she discusses her own failings with a little bit of retrospection. Lots of new words appear in this book -- her family was "pooristic" for example. Makes you want to hear her banjer playin'.

The clash of Roni's abundant innocence with the wild world fills the book with drama. Her spirit and humor are on display even during relatively horrible episodes in her life. She is a clever observer of her colleagues from the country music scene, and of herself. Highly recommended!

This was a quick read and fairly enjoyable, although poor Roni has sure had it rough. I do not envy her life one bit. Literally raised dirt poor. Made very bad choices in men and seemed to never learn. Musically, she's a wonder-love her-but I wouldn't want her life for nothing.

What upsets me greatly is her chapter on religion where she speaks as a Christian, but then talks about some guy she saw on The Learning Channel who taught her to 'hug trees' whenever, but particularly if you're blue, sad, feeling like poor me, or even if you're happy. Well, this is NOT a Christian attribute in the least!! A good Bible believing Christian would turn to the Author and Finisher of our faith...Jesus Christ. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. Surely she was taught better than this in the churches she attended, but apparently it did not sink in. Christians don't believe in hugging trees to soothe their emotions. We turn to the Rock of Our Salvation.