Customer Reviews

The Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing and Other Songs Cowboys Sing (Music in American Life)

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It is rare to find a book which is written not only with an enthusiasm and love of the subject matter but with a scholar's attention to detail. When you find a book that contains both, you often find a gem - and this book is that gem. There is a wide range of material here, everything from Songs about Cowboys to Other Songs Cowboys Sing (including the most bawdy and less well-known pieces). Gives a well-rounded view of the cowboy's real life, not the prettified picture that many books contain. The author, Guy Logsdon, lectures and performs as a Cowboy Poet and Singer and has published widely on cowboy songs and poetry. An extensive glossary and bibliography are included in the book.

The risque title of this book may be a little misleading. It's actually a thoroughly researched anthology of cowboy songs by a folklorist with plenty of credentials. Logsdon was director of libraries and a professor at the University of Tulsa. For anyone who has read and wondered about the alleged bawdiness of cowboys (early western historians were prevented by editorial restrictions from being very specific), this book will remove all doubt. Of the 61 songs included, many are unexpurgated and unembarrassed evidence that cowboys had more than cattle drives and roundups on their minds.

The book includes a lengthy introduction about song collecting, with an extensive preface to each song, noting its publication and recording history and variant versions. Songs are illustrated with a wonderful series of full-page vintage photographs by cowboy photographer Erwin Smith and others. There are bios of the six contributors to the collection, including Dallas "Nevada Slim" Turner and Baxter Black. Logsdon has also included a long history of cowboy music, ranging from its origins in the pre-cowboy South to the annual cowboy poetry gatherings at Elko, Nevada. There's a glossary of terms for those unfamiliar with cowboy lingo, plus a 22-page bibliography and helpful index. Recommended for everyone from the serious folklorist to the western enthusiast.