West Bank Boogie

West Bank Boogie has been named a finalist in the General Nonfiction category of the 19th Annual MN Book Awards. Winners will be announced May 5th, 2007. With lively interviews, classic photos, one-of-a-kind artifacts and memorabilia, "West Bank Boogie" celebrates more than 40 years of music from the Minneapolis artists who did so much to influence the soul of American music. From the legendary roots trio Koerner, Ray and Glover and R & B innovator Willie Murphy to folk music icons Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson, bluesman Lazy Bill Lucas, and bebop legend Eddie Berger, "West Bank Boogie" recalls the local folk, blues, jazz, and R & B scene that helped revive these musical genres nationwide. Many of these great musicians continue to perform on the West Bank. And "West Bank Boogie" keeps their music alive with a CD compilation of music from most of the musicians interviewed in the book.

Cyn Collins is a Twin Cities freelance writer whose work appears regularly in The Bridge newspaper, the Twin Cities Daily Planet, TC Metro, Pulse of the Twin Cities, Buon Gusto, Southside Pride, The Old-Time Herald magazine and RIFT music magazine. She is also a KFAI Community radio substitute music programmer for shows such as Dig Up the Roots, Womenfolk, and others, and produces a weekly music calender for KFAI's Dakota Dave Hull Show. Her blog, Life of Cyn, features entertainment updates and music reviews at cyncollins.blogspot.com. A resident of Minneapolis's Seward neighborhood, Collins is an old-time fiddler who loves music, film, literature, and gardening.