The Oxford American Book of Great Music Writing

Not Only Have A Breathtaking Array Of Musical Giants Come From The South - Think Elvis Presley, Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Rodgers, To Name Just Obvious Examples - But So Have A Breathtaking Array Of American Music Genres. From Blues To Rock & Roll To Jazz To Country To Bluegrass - And Areas In Between - It All Started In The American South. Since Its Debut In 1996, The Oxford American's More-or-less Annual Southern Music Issue Has Become Legendary For Its Passionate And Wide-ranging Approach To Music And For Working With Some Of America's Greatest Writers. These Writers - From Peter Guralnick To Nick Tosches To Susan Straight To William Gay - Probe The Lives And Legacies Of Southern Musicians You May Or May Not Yet Be Familiar With, But Whom You'll Love Being Introduced, Or Reintroduced, To. In One Creative, Fresh Way Or Another, These Writers Also Uncover The Essence Of Music - And Why Music Has Such Power Over Us. To Celebrate Ten Years Of Southern Music Issues, Most Of Which Are Sold-out Or Very Hard To Find, The Fifty-five Essays Collected In This Dynamic, Wide-ranging, And Vast Anthology Appeal To Both Music Fans And Fans Of Great Writing.--jacket. Acknowledgements -- Foreword / By Van Dyke Parks -- Introduction / By Marc Smirnoff -- Blues: Various Artists: Falling Into Place / By Peter Guralnick (2000) -- Leadbelly / By Robert Gordon (1999) -- Bessie Smith / By Carol Ann Fitzgerald (2005) -- Country: Jimmy Martin / By Tom Piazza (1996) -- Early History: Blind Tom Wiggins / By John Ryan Seawright (1998) -- Emmett Miller / By Nick Tosches (1996) -- Rock & Roll/pop: My Morning Jacket / By William Bowers (2003) -- Janis Joplin / By Cynthia Shearer (1996) -- Chris Bell / By John Jeremiah Sullivan (2003) -- Jim White / By Lee Durkee (2001) -- Jazz: Eartha Kitt / By Jack Hitt (2006) -- Henry Red Allen / By David Gates (2005) -- Folk/bluegrass: Doc Watson / By William Gay (2000) -- Fred Neil / By Mike Powell (2007) -- Iris Dement / By Kevin Brockmeier (2007) -- R&b/soul: Ray Charles / By Roy Blount, Jr. (2005) -- Dusty Springfield / By Jerry Wexler (1999) -- Joe Tex (a Short Story) / By Michael Parker (2005) -- Ike Turner / By John Lewis (1999) -- Family: My Mother's Blues / By Sheryl St. Germain (2007) -- About A Girl / By Wendy Brenner (2006) -- Rockabilly: Jerry Lee Lewis / By John Fergus Ryan (1995) -- Southern Rock: The Allman Brothers / By John T. Edge (2000) -- Lynyrd Skynyrd / By Diane Roberts (2001) -- Lynyrd Skynyrd (a Short Story) / By Ron Rash (2006) -- Southern Heavy Metal: An Ode / By Bret Anthony Johnston (2006) -- Blues: Dept. Of R.l. Burnside: Authenticity Be Damned! / By Will Blythe (2003) -- Why I Wear My Mojo Hand / By Robert Palmer (1996) -- Walking After Midnight / By Sven Kirkerts (1998) -- Homage To A Juke Joint / By Beth Ann Fennelly (2006) -- Rock & Roll Ii: Captain Beefheart / By Mark Richard (1998) -- The Sex Pistols / By Mark Binelli (1998) -- R&b: Dept. Of Al Green: Raw And Born Again / By Jeff Sharlet (2005) -- Only His Voice Made Us Feel This Way / By Susan Straight (2005) -- Dept. Of Elvis: Bill Haney / By Tom Graves (1996) -- Rock & Roll/pop Iii: R.e.m. / By Elizabeth Wurtzel (1993) -- Bobbie Gentry / By Ron Carlson (1998) -- Randy Newman / By Anthony Walton (2000) -- 1967 (a Poem) / By Billy Collins (2005) -- Drivin' & Cryin' / By Chris Bachelder (2006) -- Jazz Ii: King Pleasure / By Michael Perry (2003) -- Bob Dorough / By Paul Reyes (2007) -- Blues Ii: Hunting For Old Records: A True Story / By R. Crumb (1996) -- Portrait Of The Artist As An Aging Lightnin' Hopkins Enthusiast / By Joe Sacco (2005) -- Rockabilly Ii: Carl Perkins (an Interview) / By Joseph G. Tidwell Iii (1996) -- Dale Hawkins / By Lauren Wilcox (2005) -- Playing: Notes From The Underground (twang Tour) / By Marty Stuart (1998) -- Lucinda Williams / As Told To Marc Woodworth (1996) -- Guitar Lessons / By Steve Yarbrough (1996) -- Classical/avant-garde: Moondog / By Daniel Alarcón (2005) -- A Love Set To Music / By P. Revess (1996) -- At The Young Composer's Concert (a Poem) / By Donald Justice (2000) -- Playing Ii: The Song Of A Sad Café / By Don Asher (2000) -- Banjo / By Steve Martin (1999) -- The Most Human Sound / By Rosanne Cash (1996) -- Contributors -- Credits. Edited By Marc Smirnoff ; Foreword By Van Dyke Parks. Includes Bibliographical References. A compilation of fifty-five dynamic and wide-ranging essays from the pages of The Oxford American pays tribute to the lives and legacies of Southern musicians and the influence of musical trends and movements spawned in the American South on the development of American music, with contributions by Nick Tosches, Peter Furalnick, Susan Straight, and other notable authors.