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Folk & Country
Cajun Music, A Reflection of a People. Vol.1
Ann Allen Savoy
Bluebird Press, 1984. ISBN#: 0-930169-00-x
paperbound, 422 pages, B&W illus., $36.
History. Vocalist and
guitarist who often performs with her husband Marc Savoy and has done a
fine job chronicling the music she knows and loves.
Country
Nick Tosches
Scribner, 1985. ISBN#:
0-684-18345-5
paperbound, 260 pages, $10.
History. Very
personal history! A great read and so much better than his Unsung
Heroes of Rock'n'Roll. Detailed history of the oddest of the odd,
unencumbered by footnotes or bibliography.
Encyclopedia of Folk, Country and Western Music
Irwin
Stambler, Grelun Landon.
St. Martin's Press, 1969. no ISBN#.
hardbound, 396 pages, $14. used.
Reference. Looks, feels and IS
old fashioned. We canÍt really recommend any book on country, but this
is the no-nonsense one we use. There was a 1984 version available, also
OP.
Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music
Mary A. Bufwack, Robert K. Oermann
Crown, 1993. ISBN#:
0-517-58114-0
hardbound, B&W illus., $32.50
History. Fave.
Extensive and accessible History build around the author's long time
interests and car trip to visit their heroes. Likable with good
Illustrations. There's also a Woman's category you can go to.
Hawaiian Music and Musicians
ed, George S. Kanahele
University of Hawaii Press, 1979. ISBN#: 0-8248-0578-X
hardbound, 543 pages, $ 25.
History. Just about all there is on the subject - worth the price for the origin of the peddle-steel guitar alone.
Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans
Grace
Lichtenstein, Laura Dankner
Norton, 1993. ISBN#: 0-393-03468-2
hardbound, 367 pages, B&W illus., $25.
History. OK, so this is as
much R&B, as jazz, as cajun folk. Light overview of all the cities
musics.
Musiciens Cadiens et CrÚoles / The Makers of Cajun
Music
Barry Jean Ancelet, photos: Philip Gould
University of Texas Press, 1984. ISBN#: 0-292-75078-x
paperbound, 160 pages, color illus., $27.
History. Focus on musicians alive at time of
publication trying to preserve the traditional music of Southwest
Louisiana. Almost all the interviews are of white musicians from the
plains. Excellent photos, printed in Japan.
RamblinÕ Rose
Johnny Whiteside
Vanderbilt U. Press, 1997.
hardcover, 299 pages
History & Discography. Standard chronological bio., clearly, competently written. Very nice, previously unpublished letter from Woody Guthrie begins the volume. Rose was the centerpiece for the Maddox Brothers and Rose, a postwar Western Swing dance combo who competed with Wills and Cooley. Rose was the best known female country artists before Kitty Wells, and was active for over 50 years, and has yet to see any significant record royalties. Her finest hour - the gal blows $100,000 in Vegas on a spree with Jerry Lee Lewis! Also an offhand history of 4 Star Records & the record business on the West Coast at the time. Discography set up a bit oddly -sessionography w/ master numbers for the earlier material, LP/CD by LP/CD for later material. LP/CD section does not address alternate takes, or if a song available is a reissue (which session composition taken from), or re-recorded version.
South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous
John Brovin
Pelican, 1983. ISBN#: 0-88289-608-3
paperbound, 368 pages, B&W illus., $15.
History. Fave. The first generally
available broad based survey. Re-issued in 87.
The Texas-Mexican Conjunto: History of a Working-Class
Music
Manuel Pena
U. of Texas Press, 1985. ISBN#:
0-292-78080-x
paperbound, 218 pages, $15.
History. Tex-Mex
accordion based musical tradition. Again, one of the few texts in
English available.
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