Old-Time Conversations by Craig R. Evans - Book Review

Craig R. Evans grew up in a solidly mid-western family surrounded by a striving father and a musical mother. Still a teenager, he had belonged to bands while, at the same time going off to attend college and begin a "career" in business. His great awakening came, when, at the age of 50, he was fortunate enough to be fired. It was then, with the good fortune to be able to choose his next direction, he returned to the old-time music that had sustained his musical and personal development when he was younger. 

Since my experience with country music and festivals lies mostly in bluegrass, rather than old-time music, I thought I should listen to and watch some to become more familiar with the genre, not only from its history and personalities, but from the feel and sound of listening to the music. I thank YouTube and Craig Evans’ work of recording and posting a lot of performances. The forward to Old-Time Conversations, by Clare Milliner served as a welcoming invitation to read further and learn more about this early genre of American music serving as a precursor for bluegrass and other forms. The music has stayed alive for those who revel in the roots of American music, played on porches, in living rooms, and at festivals for a large community of those who value traditional, indigenous American music.

Get in Line Brother - Singleton Street

Craig Evans, the author of Old-Time Conversations, rediscovered old-time music and the community that keeps it alive at age of fifty, in a deeply personal experience at a difficult time of his life. He quickly equates this soul-saving experience with the community that keeps old-time alive and thriving. He then takes us into his life more deeply in the opening chapters. Evans locates himself as a son of late nineteenth century farming and small town culture by beginning with his own origin story. He also weaves one of the many strands leading to what has become known as old-time music into musical tradition that provides the base for modern American folk, country, bluegrass and old-time music. This is a neat trick for a musical tradition as deep and widespread as American music. Evans explores the ways in which community affects groups, especially in the case of the music they treasure. At age 50, Evans, rediscovering his instruments at home under his bed, seemingly untouched during his business career, sought out a teacher and found Dwight Diller, to be the first of his many mentors. Writing in a highly personal style, he draws the reader into the old-time community in the way he, years before had also discovered it. 

Evans allows himself to be a scholar, a participant, a portrayer (through his videos and documentary films) and a chronicler of his own life as the book continues. A man of almost endless curiosity and energy, he describes the worlds he discovers and the life he enters, while chronicling it in ways that make the old-time world exciting to his readers as well as himself. His writing is filled with energy, enthusiasm, and insight. I found that reading it drove me to explore through the large variety of old-time music to be found on YouTube, which led me towards slower reading and greater insight. “Making the world a better and happier place….” lies as the basis of the builders, performers, and historians introduced in this book. Happily, the book itself accomplishes the same goals, as well as pricking the imagination of readers eager to learn about, and perhaps join, this often discounted world of traditional music. The fact that Evans is an articulate writer as well as an established musician only make for a richer reading experience.  

After the lengthy, and necessary, introductory session, during which Evans places himself in time, interests, family, education, and experiences which led him to enter business, and later to decide to become a professional musician, the book is divided into three major sections: Instrument Builders, Performers and Teachers, and Historian and Authors. Using this design, he proposes to develop a route for coming to understand the nature of Old-Time music as well as its enduring influence and the broader country music world. Portions of these conversations are also available in a series of videos available in DVD format or online as “Old Time Conversations.” I found that combining reading the book with watching the conversations was interesting, but time-consuming. The written editions appear to be more comprehensive, while the videos provide a good sense the nature of music, the personalities of the subjects, and the participant/observer posture of the author. 

As each interview progresses, Evans delves into themes and approaches that comes to dominate the insight of the particular musician. In a sense, the questions are good enough to force the subject into deep and thoughtful self-discovery. However, each builder has a unique approach to building the instruments, engaging the instrument, the history, and the builder in highly interesting idiosyncratic fashions. The same is true in the "Performers and Teachers." and "Historians and Authors" sections.  Many were also people who didn’t easily fit into traditional academic settings, who had to find their way to music and making, playing, or teaching about music and musical instruments. As I read this book, I turned to YouTube to listen to at least one song of each person included in the book. This helped me to add perspective to the written narrative, leading me to greater appreciation of their styles, sounds, and contributions to old-time music. It also turned “reading” a book into a multi-media experience, each portion serving to enrich the other.

Many of the musicians in this book took old time homemade music played around the living room or campfire, organizing it to provide a performance quality music for wider consumption . In a sense, they were transitional people from “folk” music to professional performers, while helping create a readiness for wider circulation among festival goers and record buyers. Scholars, like the author Craig R. Evans, or a performer such as Dom Flemons and David Holt, with formal musical training served to accomplish this transition as well as many others. Meanwhile, collectors and performers rescued early recordings, handing down traditional forms and sounds contributing to wider audiences. The most powerful influence, however, remains the music made in homes and at festivals by those who love, support, and perform the music.

Clifftop Highlights Reel 2023

Clifftop is officially known as The Appalachian String Band Music Festival, and is held annually near the New River Gorge in West Virginia. In a sense, the entire book has been heading to this festival, which brings devotees from around the world to make, share, and enjoy Old-Time Music. Thanks to Craig Evans, you can experience a sense of what goes on there from hitting the link above. The link will get you there, or Google Craig’s name and Clifftop to get the list of highlight films, which are among the many joys he’s shared with fans and others interested in gaining a clearer picture of Old-Time music. Of course, the best way to learn and to become a member of this world-wide community is to find a group near you, pick up an instrument, and join the fun. 

Craig R. Evans

Craig R. Evans is a filmmaker, author, and musician documenting today's North American traditional music community. He brings a rare combination of fan, performer, researcher, and writer together to weave this fine book about the community that comes together under the rubric of Old-Time Country. It's available through all the usual sources. I received the book as a complimentary copy for the purposes of writing a review. 

 

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Discovering Tony Rice by Bill Amatneek - Book Review

When you open "Discovering Tony Rice” by Bill Amatneek, don’t expect a detailed account of the man and his life. Rather, you should step into the world Tony inhabited and changed, sit back and enjoy the ride. Written through the experiences of many musicians who played with Tony over the years, elaborately illustrated, and filled with insights, you’ll come away with a more clear understanding of the man who helped enrich and change acoustic string music while providing insights that no other piece I’ve seen has ever done as well. Those of you who were lucky enough to be in the concert hall at IBMA the day Tony, who had not spoken publicly in years, spoke his farewell words, shortly before his death, will never forget that moment. This book is filled with such  moments. 

Amatneek has relied on interviews from a range of people who played a part in Tony Rice’s life and legend. He manages to create a rational narrative as he moves from one interview to the next, tying together each segment to produce a coherent  narrative, while always keeping the narrative clean and clear. Many of the voices (Mark Schatz, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and many more) are well known to all acoustic music fans, while others are names that many people won’t recognize. The interviews seem to be transcribed from recording, creating a unique voice for each one.  Meanwhile, the transitions are clear, helping to find the roots of a man who remained an enigma to many of his best friends as well as his biggest fans right through to the end.

Jerry Douglas’ interview is particularly interesting and moving because he shows the anger and hurt Tony caused his friends because he was unwilling or unable to face the demons of drugs, depression, and physical limitations that made him unable to continue to play or sing. People tried to get him to find help, but he refused to do so. Tony was, according to Douglas, tortured by mental illness. His account of Tony’s last telephone call to him is simply heartbreaking, no matter how you might have known or heard about Tony Rice. 

As I was reading the book, I was driven to YouTube to see and hear Tony Rice in his element. In his index, Amatneek provide QR codes to show Tony Rice performances with a variety of bands. Scanning the QR codes allows the reader (listener) to experience the music, bringing him alive, at least through his music. The QR codes might have been even more powerful if they had been scattered through the text at appropriate places, but the reader can still unearth Rice’s music, and perhaps some elements of his character through these video clips.

 Amatneek makes a good argument that much of Tony Rice’s behavioral patterns were those of children of alcoholics. They have difficulty retaining relationships, easily fall under the influence of alcohol and drugs themselves, and have difficulty developing and retaining close relationships. None of the musicians who Bill Amatneek interviewed provide evidence that Tony didn’t fit that pattern. Nevertheless, the interviews themselves provide insight into Tony and, to a certain extent, to the viewpoints the musicians themselves were able to bring to their insight into Tony’s internal issues. They all, however, spoke in volumes about his musicianship, which they agreed was beyond that met by any previous guitar players, or any of those who have followed in Rice’s footsteps.

Tony Rice at IBMA Hall of Fame Award - 2013

Photo by Ted Lehmann

The layout of the book, at first, seems somewhat confusing, but becomes coherent and sensible as a readable and clear narrative. By choosing to allow the interviews to include long direct quotations, Amatneek lets Tony’s friends and band-mates talk for themselves, creating a more informal and personal presentation from a number of viewpoints. Perhaps he sacrifices coherence and accuracy for immediacy, however, the text reflects the aura of the era in which these musicians created their own legends and lives.

Bill Amatneek is widely published in a variety of music oriented outlets. Furthermore, he played with Tony Rice in many different bands through the ages. His writing is both personal and professional, yielding a persuasive portrait of a troubled genius through the many high and low periods of his life. The book has an unusual layout that grew on my as I read it. It reflects many of the challenges and difficulties Tony himself must have grappled with. You can order Discovering Tony Rice as an autographed hardback, hardback, or in a paper back format through Vineyard Press.

The Soul of America by Jon Meacham

The painting, Rainy Day on Fifth Avenue, 1916 by Childe Hassam captures the faith, risk, hope for the future, and the challenges which have faced our country ever since its foundation. There has almost never been a time when the delicate balance of interests represented by our diversity of populations, size of our land-mass, degree of independence, and the challenge of our founding as a democratic, representative republic has not existed.

We're living through an era of division along social, ethnic, racial, age, and technological, and more lines than most of us can imagine. And we find it scary! We imagine that we're in worse shape than our country has ever before seen, filled with complex issues most of us cannot see our way through. Into this era of fear and sense of lost direction, comes Jon Meacham's 2018 book, The Soul of America: The Battle For Our Better Angels, available from all your favorite outlets. 

Meacham's narrative focuses on the leadership of often flawed but effective terms of U.S. Presidents, faced with seemingly intractable problems that threaten the continued effectiveness of our system. He presents both Democratic and Republican presidents who respond with both inspiration and, sometimes, subtle political  maneuvering and at others blunt exercises of Presidential power. He looks at presidents whose behavior does not deal easily with their reputations (the intractable racism of Woodrow Wilson, who was once seen as one of the four great presidents, but is now nearly forgotten, for instance.) He also points out how history often is made by having the right person in the right place at the right time Abraham Lincoln provides a great example. In each era he describes, the future of our Republic often is questioned, yet we survived, adjusted, and often triumphed. As I read this highly readable book, I found that I gained increased insight into the strengths, weaknesses, and difficulties encountered by the great, and not-so-great, as they navigated the issues raised and the difficulties involved in building and maintaining a democracy. 

People accustomed to Meacham's television guest appearances will recognize his upbeat personality and positive viewpoints expressed about individuals and situations. He radiates confidence in positive outcomes, as does this book, without ever sounding heedless of the real challenges these men face. Despite my own gloominess about our current level of anger, division, and violence, reading Meacham increased my confidence that we will emerge a stronger and better nation.

Jon Meacham

John Meacham is a visiting professor of History at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, TN. He graduated with honors from The University of the South, after which he embarked on a long and successful career as a newspaper and magazine writer as will as a prolific writer of historical works. He has won the Pulitzer Prize as well as numerous other awards and recognitions. He is also a frequent guest on television programs, interpreting history in context delivered with warm good humor. I highly recommend this book to history and politics buffs. It's highly readable and filled with insight and wisdom. I bought John Meacham's The Soul of America in a trade paperback edition from ThriftBooks.com. As usual, the book arrived in a timely fashion and in very good condition. 

June - A Documentary Life of June Carter Cash

June Carter Cash

June, a documentary film now available for streaming on Paramount+, strikes all the right notes. It allows fans who only knew June Carter Cash as Johnny Cash's wife, to understand and revel in the career she built in country music before she married him.  June provided him with an anchor and a fully committed love, helping him build his career as became one of the most recognized and successful  artists in country music history. 

The Carter Family at Bristol Sessions

June Carter was country music royalty. The Carter Family lived in the rolling hills of southern Virginia, where their father, A.P. Carter farmed while spending most of his time trekking off to collect songs in the nearby mountains. The Carter Family, A.P, his wife Sara, and his sister-in-law Maybelle travelled south to Bristol TN/VA to participate in the first recordings of country music, made by Ralph Peer in 1929. The next generations of Carters emerged as Sara, along with her daughters Anita, June, and Helen emerged and continued to perform and record, while staying anchored in Mace's Springs, VA.  (We visited the Carter Fold fifteen years ago, finding Carter descendants continuing the Carter Family legacy of acoustic music and country dancing. It felt like a genuine pilgrimage.)

The Carter Sisters - It's My Lazy Day

When June Carter met Johnny Cash, she already had two daughters, was currently married, and a Grand Ol' Opry star in her own right. They fell in love (or perhaps "exploded into" would be a better term), and were soon inseparable. The rest is still more music history. Fortunately, there seem to have been movie cameras around both June and Johnny from early in their careers, and the Opry kept excellent records of its performers. Thus, the film is also visually stunning and moves along quite quickly. Lots of interviews with big and lesser known people along with their children permit a well-balanced and nuanced view. 

June Carter Cash & Johnny Cash - Jackson

We didn't realize how much of Johnny Cash's musical life had impacted us during our musical journey, or how important June Carter Cash was to both the history of country music and the success of Johnny Cash. June subordinated her own ambitions and talents to care for Cash, even deep in his years of drug addiction. When he joined The Highwaymen, she practically disappeared, sidelined while keeping him propped up and able to perform, creating a whole new career. We laughed, cried, and thoroughly enjoyed this marvelous documentary film. 

June is currently streaming on Paramount+. It runs for an hour and thirty-eight minutes, and seems too short, leaving the viewer wishing to see more about the family and their surroundings. It's well worth your time!

Sing Me Back Home: Southern Roots and Country Music by Bill C. Malone

 Bill C. Malone, a name unknown to many people who are performers or fans of country music is the man who virtually invented a body of research and experience which has helped to define and broaden various kinds of music referred to as Country. Without his thoughtful scholarship informed by his rural roots in East Texas, country music would be less widely distributed and understood. His book, Sing Me Back Home: Southern Roots and Country Music, published in 2017, contains sixteen meticulously annotated essays exploring the roots, spread, influences, and importance of Country Music, not only in music, but in the wider American musical culture.  

Born in East Texas near Tyler (where we lived for three years while I taught at what was then Texas Eastern University and is now The University of Texas at Tyler) Malone grew up on a hard-scrabble cotton farm, where his first interest in music was sparked by his father’s bring a battery operated radio into the home in the mid-1930’s. Soon, his inexpensive first guitar was given to him as a gift. Malone, showed an interest in the music he heard, and later, as a student at the University of Texas at Austin, widened his interest into his studies and his research. Encouraged by his faculty advisor, he wrote his doctoral dissertation at UT on country music. It was published as the still-in-print book Country Music U.S.A.

Sing Me Back Home: Southern Roots and Country Music, published in 2017, is a collection of serious, well documented essays previously published in scholarly journals or delivered as speeches to university audiences. Despite his academic excellence, Malone’s country roots and essential decency shine through on every page. Examined in its overall focus, lies Malone’s highly knowledgeable awareness of the deep variety and wide-reaching roots of what has become known as country music. He looks carefully at the roots from which much of the music sprang, discovering more complexity and nuance than most fans attribute to their own version of the sources and nature of their preferred version of country. 

In his chapter on Bill Monroe, for instance, he looks at the lonely boy who picked up a mandolin, as well as the young man who followed his brother to the industrial Midwest. He was influenced by all the musical strands he encountered as well as bringing his own personality and strength towards developing the basis of what others came to call bluegrass music. He finds the same diversity in early country music, discusses the influences of going to war, the wide dispersal growing from radio and, later television, on the development of country music. He examines how jazz, pop, the movement of rural people to the cities, and other factors make country music and bluegrass variants on the same tree trunk. He particularly examines how various ethnic and cultural communities in America have contributed to the music. Purity is not what you find, but, perhaps, a greater understanding of much of what makes America great emerges.

If you’re interested in a book that helps you solidify your personal conception of what country music really is, this book may not be your best choice. If, on the other hand, you think you can benefit from getting a more eclectic understanding of how common people from America’s rural roots became one of the most powerful and influential musical formats in contemporary life around the world, this book will thrill you. 

I bought Sing Me Back Home: Southern Roots and Country Music as a used book from ThriftBooks.com in a hardback edition. The book is published by the University of Oklahoma Press and is widely available

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders & the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

The plight and treatment of Native Americans in this country cannot be overemphasized as we become more aware and sensitive to the way they have been treated throughout our history. Killers of the Flower Moon stands out, at least partly because it has provided both the title and the source for a hugely popular movie, just released for streaming on Apple+. However, the book was a best-seller, listed as one of the top ten nonfiction books of 2017. Author David Grann, spent a number of years digging into the story of exploitation, murder, government disinterest, and simple graft which allowed this too typical rape of a people and the land during the first quarter of the twentieth century.

The Osage people were settled on a barren piece of unwanted territory in Osage County, Oklahoma, the largest county in the state, with Tulsa anchoring it at the southeast corner. It was sandy, dry, and unwanted until oil was discovered underneath it in 1897. The Osage people owned the mineral rights underneath land, making them, for a while, some of the richest people in the world. Soon, a number of white entrepreneurs and politicians realized the could gain control of the oil money only by marrying some of the women on the reservation. This led to a period, between 1917 and 1925 of local and imported men marrying Native people. Soon, a strange increase in the death rate of these Indian wives and the increased riches of the men, who gained control of much of the oil, began to occur. 

When called upon to investigate what was happening in Osage County, J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the FBI was just at the point of organizing his agents as a national police force and creating the FBI myth for integrity and efficiency that lasted for nearly eighty years. He had little time and less inclination to seriously investigate the situation. Moreover, there were numerous investigation of the deaths and trials, all featuring extensive corruption, the the increasing exploitation of these not well educated or sophisticated people. 

The story, told by David Grann, brings the characters and the setting to life. Furthermore, his deep dives into archives long gathering dust in the State Library and other depositories lay waiting to be carefully collated, read, and interpreted. While the Osage people knew much of the history, they were not able to become good advocates in their own interests. As he digs through the various archives he uncovered, the horror of the treatment the Osage people received becomes increasingly horrifying to Grann and to his reader. This is a story you should read to shed additional light on the story before seeing the film. 

David Grann

David Grann is an award winning writer whose works have received best-selling status. Several of his books have been New York Times best-sellers, and he was a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. I bought the book and read it on my Kindle reader.