Determined to play the mandolin in a way it had never been played before, Monroe distinguished himself in the mid-1930s with the Monroe Brothers, then began forming his own band, the Blue...

Together Let Us Sweetly Live offers a rare look at the unique grassroots African American religious institutions called the Singing and Praying Bands. This folksong and ring shout tradition began in Chesapeake Bay country in the early nineteenth century, with a fusion of Methodist prayer meeting worship and African religious, danced song traditions. Although scholars have assumed ring shouts died out long ago, Jonathan C. David shows otherwise, ushering us inside tidewater communities of Maryland and Delaware...

This book recounts the fascinating life of Roni Stoneman, the youngest daughter of the pioneering country music family, and a girl who, in spite of poverty and abusive husbands, eventually became "The First Lady of Banjo," a fixture on the Nashville scene, and, as "Hee Haw"'s Ironing Board Lady, a comedienne beloved by millions of Americans nationwide.

Drawn from over seventy-five hours of recorded interviews, "Pressing On" reveals that Roni is also a master storyteller. In her...

Where Did Our Love Go? chronicles the rise and fall of Motown Records while emphasizing the role of its dynamic founder, Berry Gordy Jr. First published in 1986, this classic work includes a new preface by Nelson George that identifies Motown s influence on young recorders and music mogels of today, including R. Kelly, D Angelo, Sean Combs, and Russell Simmons.

Gordy s uncanny instinct for finding extraordinary talent--whether performers, songwriters, musicians, or producers--yielded popular artists who include the Supremes, the Jackson Five, Smokey Robinson, the Miracles, the...