Hazel Dickens is an Appalachian singer and songwriter known for her superb musicianship, feminist country songs, union anthems, and blue-collar laments. Growing up in a West Virginia coal mining community, she drew on the mountain music and repertoire of her family and neighbors when establishing her own vibrant and powerful vocal style that is a trademark in old-time, bluegrass, and traditional country circles. Working Girl Blues presents forty original songs that Hazel Dickens wrote about coal mining, labor issues, personal relationships, and her life and family in Appalachia. Conveying sensitivity, determination, and feistiness, Dickens comments on each of her songs, explaining how she came to write them and what they meant and continue to mean to her. Bill C. Malone's introduction traces Dickens's life, musical career, and development as a songwriter, and the book features forty-one illustrations and a detailed discography of her commercial recordings.
Working Girl Blues (Music in American Life)
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Still churning out songs "that challenge the easy complacency and corporate arrogance of our time," influential Appalachian singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens has devoted her life to writing music not just about "the predictable themes of bluegrass-mama, the old home place, the distant but cherished past," but "questions of estrangement, survival, human dignity, and social and economic justice that concern us all." This slim biography, which includes many black and white photographs, lyrics and personal notes from Dickens, as well as a complete discography, chronicles her personal and professional life. Malone, an author and Tulane University history professor, illuminates the life of a "sensitive and discerning child of the poor" who overcame "a society that discouraged women from expressing themselves," and, over the decades, ended up speaking out for many. Dickens's stories, accompanying her song lyrics, provide additional insight into her heritage ( "Coal Miner's Grave," "West Virginia My Home"), personal experience and eccentric voice: "Scraps from Your Table," she says, is "one of those nasty smart-alecky songs that I like to write." This tribute to Dickens's life and work will interest bluegrass fans and activists.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Hard on the heels of Foster Hirsch’s Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King (2007) comes this somewhat complementary book. Fujiwara skims over Preminger’s early years directing for the Vienna stage and his later acting in movies (most memorably, Stalag 17) to emphasize his film direction, noting such stylistic markers as his fluid camera movements and long takes and drawing thematic connections between his early films and those shot three decades later. Fujiwara requisitely praises Laura and Preminger’s other lauded 1940s noirs, and the censor-defying The Moon Is Blue and The Man with the Golden Arm, but proceeds to be the contrarian about the large-scale early-1960s films, such as Exodus and Advise and Consent, that are commonly dismissed as bloated and inert. Fujiwara considers them radical and original, integral to Preminger’s self-definition as a filmmaker. A recent upswing in Preminger’s critical reputation justifies Hirsch’s and Fujiwara’s efforts, and libraries with strong film collections should consider both. Others will choose Hirsch for his emphasis on Preminger’s colorful life or Fujiwara for his informed and astute critique. --Gordon Flagg
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This brief work is a helpful start, and readers should understand that it is a popular level work rather than the serious analysis and historical work that Hazel's life, tradition, and music really deserve. But until that appears, this is a good start. In fact, such short works done quickly, while memories are fresh, can be VERY helpful for later, more serious, academic works. There is a short biography, followed by the lyrics of many of Hazel's songs with brief comments from Hazel herself. The book reads like an extended series of conversations with Hazel Dickens herself. I enjoyed reading it, but was left wanting more background, analysis, and comparisons with other musicians similar to her, either historical or contemporary. I was especially interested in learning about Mountain Gospel music, but this work is very minimal on this subject. But all in all - a Good start.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Lynn
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an easy-to-read book about Hazel Dickens' life and songs. It was great getting her perspective on the different songs she wrote....what the story was behind a song, what inspired her, etc.
The only bad part about this book is that because it was written as a biography and Hazel was so modest, it doesn't go into more detail on the depth of what she did to help the coal miners, how hard she had to work to succeed as a woman in the music industry, how much of a role model she's been for other women artists, what an inspiration she was for the creation of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco (the largest festival of its kind; even the mayor of SF dedicated a day to her and personally came on stage to give her a certificate of recognition), etc.
We still miss her dearly, but it's comforting to know her songs are timeless and we'll never forget her!
The only bad part about this book is that because it was written as a biography and Hazel was so modest, it doesn't go into more detail on the depth of what she did to help the coal miners, how hard she had to work to succeed as a woman in the music industry, how much of a role model she's been for other women artists, what an inspiration she was for the creation of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco (the largest festival of its kind; even the mayor of SF dedicated a day to her and personally came on stage to give her a certificate of recognition), etc.
We still miss her dearly, but it's comforting to know her songs are timeless and we'll never forget her!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hazel Dickens was my great aunt. She was my grandfathers sister. She was a great musician and a good woman. I can remember going to my grandparents house to visit when she would also come and her and my grandfather would sit for hours and play. She was a wonderful musician that many people had a great amount of respect for!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
TTerrific book about a wonderful singer/songwriter of Bluegrass
Hazel has been a pioneer in the bluegrass world opening doors for women and this is good history of her life and her song writing. I highly recommend it!!
Susan
Susan
Published 2 months ago by S. P. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book telling the story of a bluegrass icon
After attending a bluegrass festival, I realized that although I knew nothing about Hazel Dickens, other performers at the festival had great respect for her. Read more
Published on November 22, 2008 by Suzan Syrett
