Carolina
Bluegrass: A High Lonesome History by Gail Wilson-Giarratano,
PhD (The History Press, 2015, 176 pages, $21.99/9.99) is a profusely
illustrated overview of the role bluegrass music has played in the
Carolinas. Author Gail Wilson-Giarratano has condensed much of the
history of bluegrass music into a brief consideration and then sought to
interview many of those involved in making and writing about the
region's music today. The book is ambitious in its goals, yet limited in
its scope, making it difficult to function as both good history and
an effort to capture the role bluegrass plays in the contemporary
world of Carolina music. On it's web site, The History Press
describes itself as “empowering history and culture enthusiasts to
write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books
that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and
bring readers closer – to their community, their neighbors, and
their past. We are committed to the pursuit of new growth
opportunities and to increasing the availability, depth, and breadth
of local books. Driven by genuine pride in our work and an infectious
enthusiasm for what we do, we are universally dedicated to the
success of our authors, employees, and stakeholders.” This title
fits well into that description, but as such, seems to lose focus as
a useful book for those interested in placing bluegrass into a richer
and more comprehensive context. The book is best read by those who
contributed to it or are written about in it, but not particularly
useful for people actually wishing to learn about bluegrass in a
larger world of national or regional music.
The strongest elements of Carolina
Bluegrass are the interviews and
profiles of people who are, or recently have been, involved at many
levels in the creation and presentation of music in the two states.
Some of the people profiled are major contemporary artists and
personalities. Wayne Benson and Kristen Scott Benson are effectively
profiled as are Cindy and Terry Baucom. Earl Scruggs gets his due,
but the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC, an important center for
information about Scruggs and the region, doesn't. Wilson-Giarratano
is effective in identifying and providing brief profiles of musicians
who function in local radio, performing and even recording
situations. She spends significant time visiting several of the
small, and endangered by internet commerce, music shops, many of
which host much loved and long-lived local jams. She also spends time
discussing local country radio stations which devote some time to
bluegrass, many of which have had their lives extended through
streaming internet. In doing this, the book provides a real service.
Whether people from outside the region will seek out these shops and
jams is another question. The focus seems to be on making sure to
mention lots of names. The book could function effectively for
bluegrass fans seeking to find local music during their travels in
the Carolinas.
The
book focuses on people who have distinguished themselves enough in
the Carolinas to become recipients of cultural history awards
presented by state legislatures. The winners of the South Carolina
Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award are all mentioned, and many are
profiled as are those who have won the North Carolina Heritage Award.
These state awards draw attention to local cultural history.
Gail Wilson-Giarratano
Author, Dr. Gail Wilson–Giarratano,
(a native of Lancaster, SC) joined City Year Columbia on March 26,
2012. She was the President and CEO of Girls Inc. of the Greater
Capital Region in Albany, NY. She has a B.A. in Education from
Winthrop College, a M.S. in Early Childhood Education: Leadership &
Policy from Wheelock College and a PH.D. in Applied Management &
Decision Sciences. Gail is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Inc. She has a vast experience in teaching, child welfare, research,
public policy, and mental health. She is thrilled to return to her
home state and make strides in reducing her state’s dropout rate.
Gail is committed to supporting City Year’s mission to be an
education-focused nonprofit that partners with public schools to help
keep students in school and on track to graduate. She has also
written Drink
Small: the Life and Music of South Carolina's Blues Doctor
from the same publisher. (Source: mostly City
Year web site.
Gail
Wilson-Giarratano, PhD, author of Carolina
Bluegrass: A High Lonesome History
(The History Press, 2015, 176 pages, $21.99/9.99) has produced a
lively, but narrowly useful overview of the history and current state
of bluegrass in the two state region. For people from North
and (particularly) South Carolina, Carolina Bluegrass can
function as a useful resource for information and sources to hear
bluegrass in the two states. For visitors eager to experience
bluegrass music as a local phenomenon, it can serve the same purpose.
For those seeking deeper and more nuanced views of the origins,
nature, and issues within the bluegrass world, it is probably less
useful, but could provide a starting point. Meanwhile, people living
within the region may eagerly purchase the book to see if their name
is included. I received a copy of the book from the author in return
for a written response to her queries.
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