Bluegrass: A History (Music in American Life)

Rosenberg, Neil V.

ISBN 10: 0252002652 / ISBN 13: 9780252002656

Published by University of Illinois Press, 1985

Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_450877379

Synopsis:

Beginning with the musical cultures of the American South in the 1920s and 1930s, "Bluegrass: A History" traces the genre through its pivotal developments during the era of Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys in the forties. It describes early bluegrass' role in postwar country music, its trials following the appearance of rock and roll, its embracing by the folk music revival, and the invention of bluegrass festivals in the mid-sixties. Neil V. Rosenberg details the transformation of this genre into a self-sustaining musical industry in the seventies and eighties is detailed and, in a supplementary preface written especially for this new edition, he surveys developments in the bluegrass world during the last twenty years. Featuring an amazingly extensive bibliography, discography, notes, and index, this book is one of the most complete and thoroughly researched books on bluegrass ever written.

Reviews: Rosenberg's book is the publisher's second excellent bluegrass history in two years. Robert Cantwell's Bluegrass Breakdown ( LJ 5/15/84) was a scholarly study of the music and its cultural roots, while this one expands the reader's appreciation by focusing on the performers. There is considerable overlap, of course, as both authors describe Bill Monroe's founding influence and the contributions of pioneers such as the Stanley Brothers and Flatt and Scruggs. Rosenberg offers many more biographical details, however, and discusses the musical impact of many more persons than does Cantwell. Fans as well as scholars will find much to like in this well-researched, well-indexed work. William Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Bluegrass: A History (Music in American Life)
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Publication Date: 1985
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good