Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost [Paperback]

Graced by more than 200 illustrations, many of them seldom seen and some never before published, this sparkling volume offers vivid portraits of the men and women who created country music, the artists whose lives and songs formed the rich tradition from which so many others have drawn inspiration. Included here are not only such major figures as Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family, Fiddlin' John Carson, Charlie Poole, and Gene Autry, who put country music on America's cultural map, but many fascinating lesser-known figures as well, such as Carson Robison, Otto Gray, Chris Bouchillon, Emry Arthur and dozens more, many of whose stories are told here for the first time. To map some of the winding, untraveled roads that connect today's music to its ancestors, Tony Russell draws upon new research and rare source material, such as contemporary newspaper reports and magazine articles, internet genealogy sites, and his own interviews with the musicians or their families. The result is a lively mix of colorful tales and anecdotes, priceless contemporary accounts of performances, illuminating social and historical context, and well-grounded critical judgment. The illustrations include artist photographs, record labels, song sheets, newspaper clippings, cartoons, and magazine covers, recreating the look and feel of the entire culture of country music. Each essay includes as well a playlist of recommended and currently available recordings for each artist. Finally, the paperback edition now features an extensive index.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Notes on Playlists
Eck Robertson
Fiddlin' John Carson
Henry Whitter
Ernest V. Stoneman
Uncle Dave Macon
Vernon Dalhart
Fiddlin' Powers
Charlie Poole
Kelly Harrell
DaCosta Woltz
Uncle Jimmy Thompson
Dr Humphrey Bate
Sam McGee
Gid Tanner
Riley Puckett
Clayton McMichen
Lowe Stokes
Earl Johnson
John Dilleshaw
Georgia Yellow Hammers
South Georgia Highballers
Col=