Full Description
From its beginnings in the early 1920s, commercial country music—as performed on stage, on records, radio, and in movies—became an increasingly pervasive and lively part of American life, yet some forty years passed before it was given serious attention by writers, historians, scholars, and students of national culture. The first publication founded for promoting the systematic research and recognition of country music was the John Edwards Memorial Foundation (JEMF) Quarterly at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1965. Over time, the JEMF Quarterly brought to light the lives and careers of dozens of pioneer musicians, including Alfred G. Karnes, the Carter Family, Riley Puckett, and Buell Kazee, along with details of early commercial radio operations, the sources of many traditional songs, and the reproduction of historical documents. In addition, the early work of many contributors who later became known as major scholars in the field-Archie Green, Charles Wolfe, Norm Cohen, Simon J. Bonner, and Loyal Jones among others-appeared on the pages of the JEMF Quarterly during its 19 years in publication. Exploring Roots Music reprints twenty-seven representative articles published in the JEMF Quarterly over the years, until it ceased publication in 1985. It also includes many illustrations and an introduction that seeks to place the journal in historical perspective and illuminate its central importance to the study of American culture.
Contents
Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Folklore: A Sub-Discipline of Media Studies? Chapter 4 Scopes and Evolution in Hillbilly Songs Chapter 5 Commercial Music Graphics #9: Sheet Music Covers Chapter 6 Grass Roots Commercialism Chapter 7 Between Two Cultures: One Viewer's Response to "Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends" Chapter 8 The WLS National Barn Dance Story: The Early Years Chapter 9 "I'm a Record Man": Uncle Art Satherley Reminisces Chapter 10 The Life of Alfred G. Karnes Chapter 11 International Relations, Dr. Brinkley, and Hillbilly Music Chapter 12 "Henry Clay Beattie": Once a Folksong Chapter 13 John "Knocky" Parker: A Case Study of White and Black Musical Interaction Chapter 14 "We Made Our Name in the Days of Radio": A Look at the Career of Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper Chapter 15 WNAX: Country Music on a Rural radio Station 1927-1955 Chapter 16 Woodhull's Old Tyme Masters: A Hillbilly Band in the Northern Tradition Chapter 17 Roots of the Country Yodel: Notes Toward a Life History Chapter 18 Riley Puckett: "King of the Hillbillies" Chapter 19 Folk and Hillbilly Music: Further Thoughts on Their Relations Chapter 20 Commercial Music Graphics #44: John Held Jr.: Jazz Age and Gilded Age Chapter 21 Buell Kazee Chapter 22 Columbia Records and Old-Time Music Chapter 23 Popular Music and the Fiddler Chapter 24 Country Music in Italy: A Matter of Controversy Chapter 25 The Rise and Decline of the Standard Transcription Company Chapter 26 Early Knoxville Radio (1921-1941): WNOX and the "Midday Merry Go-Round" Chapter 27 Ethnic Country Music on Superior's Southern Shore Chapter 28 Commercial Music Graphics #64: Farewell Tony Chapter 29 "Wreck on the the Highway": Rhetoric and Religion in a Country Song Chapter 30 Index Chapter 31 About the Author
