In the new Pete Seeger biography, To Everything There is a Season: Pete Seeger and the Power of Song by Allan M. Winkler (Oxford University Press, 2009), the author notes that throughout his life, Seeger “didn’t smoke, drink or chase women; instead he chased causes.” Pete Seeger’s life was “singing truth to power” and author […]
W.C. Handy: The Life And Times Of The Man Who Made The Blues by David Robertson. Knopf, 2009. In Memphis there is a statue of W.C. Handy, “the Father of the Blues,” in Handy Park on Beale Street. Handy named his autobiography, The Father of the Blues but, according to author David Robertson in his […]
Chad Jeffers is a successful in-demand road musician; he currently tours as Carrie Underwood’s steel guitar player and previously toured with Keith Urban, playing a variety of instruments. He was also a member of the group Pinmonkey, which had several singles released by RCA. Jeffers’ new book, 25 Notes for the Successful Musician: The Ultimate […]
Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age by Steve Knopper (The Free Press, 2009) Ever wonder how the music industry REALLY got into such a problem with the Internet, illegal downloads and all that? Well, this is the book for you. Steve Knopper takes the reader on the […]
How The Beatles Destroyed Rock ’n’ Roll by Elijah Wald (Oxford University Press, 2009) Review by Belmont professor Don Cusic: This isn’t really a book about the Beatles; rather it is a book that notes the distortion of the history of popular music through the years. Wald, who wrote an excellent book on Robert Johnson, […]
Book Review Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights Bill Ivey (University of California Press, 2008) Bill Ivey is one of the most articulate commentators on art and culture in America. He served as head of the National Endowment for the Arts during the Clinton Administration and prior to that was […]