Texas historian Joe Nick Patoski sums up the experience of attending one of Willie Nelson’s annual picnics as “living inside a Willie Nelson song every Fourth of July.” As Patoski writes in his foreword to journalist Dave Dalton Thomas’ Picnic: […]
In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival celebrated the lives and music of a group of fictional street singers Willy and the Poor Boys in their hit song “Down on the Corner.” As the four boys gather on the corner near […]
There is a sense in which this book should not need to be written. Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, Mother Maybelle Carter, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, among others, are the fount of the blues, jazz, gospel, country, and rock. […]
For millions of fans who bought their eponymous 1975 album and their 1977 Rumours, the only Fleetwood Mac they’ll ever know was the band that churned out light rock hits. They’ll know it was fronted by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and […]
When Nanci Griffith died just a little over three years ago — on August 13, 2021 — many hearts were broken. We knew we had lost a woman who loved fiercely, sang tenderly, told stories of women embracing their power, […]
Most musicians recognize the transformative power of music and the ways it can stir up listeners’ emotions. During a concert, a band might play a defiant anthem that has the crowd jeering angrily about the song’s subject; at another moment, […]
Inspiring soul and gospel singer, civil rights activist, Bob Dylan’s crush: Mavis Staples can now add children’s book author to her resume. Partnering with award-winning children’s book author Carolyn Boston Weatherford (Unspeakable; Moses) and illustrator Steffi Walthall (Ain’t Gonna Let […]
So far in 2024, mediocrity reigns supreme in music book publishing. Only a few memorable books (many of them on jazz) have risen far above the remainder of the stacks. The standouts display eloquent prose, thorough research, and lucid insights […]
John Cowan admits that on Feb. 9, 1964, the cosmic balance of the universe shifted: “A comet slipped through the ether from the bonds of the galaxy (or was it Liverpool?) and into the side door of the Ed Sullivan […]
When he was 6 years old, country singer Darius Rucker discovered his destiny. Rucker was lying on his living room floor listening to Al Green’s then-new album, I’m Still in Love with You, he recalls in his new memoir, […]
