Rural Rhythm
The Story of Old-Time Country Music in 78 Records
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:27th May '21
£29.49
Available to order, but very limited on stock - if we have issues obtaining a copy, we will let you know.
There are many biographies and histories of early country music and its creators, but surprisingly little attention has been given to the actual songs at the heart of these narratives. In this groundbreaking book, music historian Tony Russell turns the spotlight on seventy-eight original 78rpm discs of songs and tunes from the 1920s and 1930s, uncovering the hidden stories of how they came to be recorded, the musicians who sang and played them, the record companies that marketed them, and the listeners who absorbed them. In these essays, based upon new research, contemporary newspaper accounts, and previously unpublished interviews, and copiously illustrated with rare images, readers will find songs about home and family, love and courtship, crime and punishment, farms and floods, chain gangs and chain stores, journeys and memories, and many other aspects of life in the period. Rural Rhythm not only charts the tempos and styles of rural and small-town music-making and the origins of present-day country music, but also traces the larger rhythms of life in the American South, Southwest, and Midwest. What emerges is a narrative that ingeniously blends the musical and social history of the era.
Rural Rhythm is an excellent title, hard to imagine there could be a better book * Alexander Ebert, popcultureshelf.com *
The author's extensive and careful research, and his commitment to the subject matter, is always in evidence. It's undoubtedly a serious work offering much in the way of understanding, but nonetheless is straightforward and entertaining to read - it's also interesting and enlightening and I highly recommend it. * Emily Poole, Old Time News *
Russell has long been one of the foremost scholars of country music history. The current volume is perhaps his most fascinating ... This is a gold mine for all who are interested in popular music. * R. D. Cohen, CHOICE *
Fans of old-time music will treasure Rural Rhythm, as will the large and diverse American roots music fanbase. But the book—because it possesses the integrity and authority to challenge widespread but overly simplistic and limiting notions regarding the early history of commercial country music—deserves the broadest possible readership. * Ted Olsen, The Old-Time Herald *
This is a gold mine for all who are interested in popular music. * Ronald D. Cohen, CHOICE *
...a must for anyone truly interested in the history and thread of old-time. I wish these existed when I was starting out! And look up the referenced recordings. You'll be glad you did. * Dan Levenson, Banjo Newsletter *
Music scholarship doesn't get any better than this. Quite simply, it's one of the most insightful and fascinating books about country music I've ever read. * Patrick Huber, coauthor of A&R Pioneers: Architects of American Roots Music on Record *
No one knows more about recorded country music than Tony Russell, and no one writes about it with more elegance and insight. Rural Rhythm is a tour de force — part history lesson, part treasure hunt, and part epic playlist, jammed with fascinating illustrations. Don't miss it! * Tom Piazza *
It is tempting to read Rural Rhythm as a book accompanying a set of CDs that has yet to be released,...the sweeping continuities that Russell instills in his text to make this book a true history. * Edward Komara, Association for Recorded Sound Collections Journal *
- Winner of Winner, 2022 Belmont Book Award.
ISBN: 9780190091187
Dimensions: 180mm x 257mm x 31mm
Weight: 1g
336 pages