Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

To its millions of fans, country music is America's music, offering a window on the sweet dreams and cruel disappointments of ordinary American lives. Now the renowned Country Music Foundation, custodian of Nashville's legendary Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, has compiled a fascinating and infinitely useful guide to this beloved musical genre--The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Nearly 1,300 complete and up-to-the-minute alphabetical entries put eight decades of country music at readers' fingertips, from the earliest '20s recordings of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers to the '90s chart-topping albums of LeAnn Rimes and Garth Brooks. A distinguished field of 137 contributors provides an eminently readable and reliable guide to the singers, songwriters, record companies, and industry movers and shakers who have made country music the increasingly popular--and profitable--juggernaut it is today. There are entries for influential radio and television programs, and for key country landmarks from Nashville's Music Row to Bakersfield's Blackboard nightclub. Ten longer essays probe the historical, cultural, religious, artistic, and financial forces shaping country music. Hundreds of photographs, some never before published, accompany the text, including 75 color photographs from the CMF Library's record collection, surveying the history of the country music album cover. Twelve appendices provide lists of country's all-time best-selling albums, country music stations nationwide, all the country music awards won over the years, and much more. Authoritative, accessible, and unerringly accurate, The Encyclopedia of Country Music will delight fans. It is an essential reference for libraries, radio stations, and the entertainment industry.

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

A surprisingly frank product of the Nashville country music establishment (it was compiled by the Country Music Foundation), this title promises to be the definitive historical and biographical work of the past eight decades of country music. Some 150 authorities (e.g., Colin Escott and Ronnie Pugh) discuss the music in all its permutations, and the results are beyond impressive. Interspersed with the biographical entries are historical and sociological essays on the literature of country music, country songwriting, gospel, folk and popular music connections, and even touring and costuming. Thirteen appendixes cover the Country Music Hall of Fame, radio stations, and best-selling country albums. While all the major artists (e.g., Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb) are given their due, this work also gets at the second- and third-tier country singers as well as songwriters, musicians, DJs, record company executives, and others who have played roles in the genre. By covering contemporary artists as well as those who have been lost in the mists of time, the book is superior to any country music reference this reviewer has seen. Well written and heavily illustrated, this is the only country music reference work most libraries will need. An unparalleled work, worth its price and highly recommended.‘David M. Turkalo, Suffolk Univ. Law School Lib., Boston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Oxford University Press takes on country music in a 1,300-entry encyclopedia compiled by the staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The encyclopedia is primarily biographical, but does contain some other entries such as field recordings, jukeboxes, Opryland USA, western swing, etc. Ten essays by specialists on various aspects of country music are scattered throughout the book. The book's biographical entries include early performers like W. R. Calaway, legends like the Carter Family, newcomers like Shania Twain, and behind-the-scenes people like producer Jim Ed Norman. Each signed profile includes date and place of birth and date of death, where appropriate. The narrative mixes a varying amount of personal data with the professional careers. Important songs, recordings, contracts, tours, and other details are listed. Some entries are illustrated with black-and-white photos, and most close with a select discography. None of the entries are very long. Hank Williams and costume designer Nudie rank about a page, Johnny Cash about one and a quarter page, and Kathy Mattea a half page. See and see also references are helpful, since there isn't an index. The entries are current through the beginning of 1998, so Tammy Wynette's death is noted. In addition to the 150 black-and-white illustrations, there is a 16-page color section of country music cover art. The book closes with appendixes of best selling records, Grammy and Country Music Awards, and other similar lists. After a drought, the 1990s have seen a resurgence in country music publishing. However, it has been a couple of years since Definitive Country [RBB S 1 95] and The Comprehensive Country Music Encyclopedia [RBB F 1 95]. All Music Guide to Country [RBB N 1 97], a bio-discography, was published in 1997. Since then, old favorites like Grandpa Jones and Minnie Pearl have left us. Young performers like LeAnn Rimes have emerged. Public and academic libraries will definitely want to consider buying this volume to update their earlier titles, if they have country fans as patrons.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Paul Kingsbury is author of The Grand Ole Opry History of Country Music. A Deputy Director for the Country Music Foundation and an editor of Journal of Country Music, he lives in Nashville.