Whispering Pines: The Northern Roots of American Music . . . from Hank Snow to The Band [Hardcover]

Jason Schneider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009

Providing the first comprehensive history of Canada’s songwriting legacy, this guide traces a distinctly Canadian musical identity from the 1930s to the end of the 1970s. The discussion shows how Canadian musicians have always struggled to create work that reflects their own environment while simultaneously connecting with mass audiences in other countries, particularly the United States. While nearly all songwriters who successfully crossed this divide did so by immersing themselves in the American and British forms of blues, folk, country, and rock 'n' roll, this guide reveals that Canadian sensibilities were never far beneath the surface. Canadian innovators featured include The Band, Ian & Sylvia, Hank Snow, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, and superstars Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Lively anecdotes and interviews round out the history, but the emphasis is always on the essential music—how and where it originated and its impact on the artists' subsequent work and the wider musical world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What makes Canada such fertile ground for talented artists? When Canadian music journalist Schneider posed the question to Toronto-born guitarist Robbie Robertson, Robertson replied, Must be something in the water. Schneider's ambitious full-length study of Canadian musicians from Wilf Carter through the Band seeks to test that very potent water, and although the results are inconclusive, his study is sure to become a key piece in the survey of popular music history. Schneider introduces picked-over subjects such as Leonard Cohen with such nuanced attention to personal humanity, it is as if the author has revealed them to us for the first time. Schneider beautifully weaves in the complicated relationships, both professional and personal, of the various artists who have come to define the sound of 20th-century American popular music (yes, American). If Schneider's book does nothing else, it exposes the semantic futility of delineating popular music of the U.S. from that of Canada, be it Dylan's quintessential 1960s sound, courtesy of the Band, or the sound of 1970s California, as created by Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and the Mamas and Papas, Canadians all. (Aug.)
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Review

[Schneider's] study is sure to become a key piece in the survey of popular music history . . . Schneider beautifully weaves in the complicated relationships, both professional and personal, of the various artists who have come to define the sound of 20th-century American popular music (yes, American).  —Publishers Weekly

"The first comprehensive book, long overdue, on Canadians' impact on contemporary American pop music . . . This is a refreshing addition to pop-music literature as well as to the often neglected-by-Americans corpus of Canadiana."  —Booklist Online

"Whispering Pines is a busy, striving survey, a latticework of cultural history, microbiography and music journalism . . . Schneider's delivery is that kind of chatty, energetic rock journalism of the old-time variety."  —The Globe and Mail

"Schneider presents a thoughtfully researched history and analysis of Canadian songwriters, their geographical and social origins and their career paths."  —

Canadian Geographic

"Whispering Pines works not just as approachable one-stop-shopping for those with a passing interest in the subject[s], but as a long overdue contextual framework for the tenants in this country's tower of song." —Macleans.ca

"It is clear [Schneider] knows his subject, and the book is a treasure trove of trivia."  —Winnipeg Free Press

"Schneider's collection of stories puts a fresh spin on Canadian artists whose lives and accomplishments haven't lacked for media coverage and analysis."  —Edmonton Journal

"A fine piece of writing that condenses and contextualizes five decades of music into an entertaining and thoughtful document . . . Jason Schneider offers a concise, brilliantly organized and original take on Canadian cultural influence."  —Literary Review of Canada

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550228749
• ISBN-13: 978-1550228748
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,011,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for any serious American popular music collection, October 18, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whispering Pines: The Northern Roots of American Music . . . from Hank Snow to The Band (Hardcover)

Any fan of Canadian music who would understand its roots and their link to American music will find WHISPERING PINES; THE NORTHERN ROOTS OF AMERICAN MUSIC FROM HANK SNOW TO THE BAND an exceptional and different acquisition. Why and how did the Canadian folk sound travel outside of Canada to influence American trends, and how does Canadian music culture differ from American music? Chapters survey some of the top names in Canadian music in this engrossing survey, highly recommended for any serious American popular music collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Overdue and Plenty to Like, September 6, 2009

By 

Jim Linderman "Jack Vernack" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Whispering Pines: The Northern Roots of American Music . . . from Hank Snow to The Band (Hardcover)

I purchased this for the material on THE BAND and there is much I hadn't read before, including a few hilarious quips from Ronnie Hawkins, and one can never read enough quips from Ronnie Hawkins. Any popular music library must have this. Jim Linderman "Dull Tool Dim Bulb"