5 comments about Go, Cat, Go!: The Life and Times of Carl Perkins, the King of Rockabilly.

1. What a story!! This should be a must read for all of us who get to feeling sorry for ourslves. Carl Perkins came from abject poverty,a racially discriminating South,was known as "white trash",wrote one of rock n rolls seminal tunes,was on the brink of superstardom,lost it all,became a sideman to another Sun records stablemate,delved into the pit of addiction,rose again,had alot of his early work recorded by a group known as the Beatles,played with the likes of Eric Clapton,loved performing with his own family,lived his life humbly,nursed somewhat of a grudge against Sam Phillips,Jerry Lee Lewis,and Elvis,made peace with himself,and left behind the legacy of a man who had seen the beast within and had conquered it.
   This is a must read for anyone who has any interest in music,or for that matter,the sociology of the South during the late 1940's and 1950's. It is also ,quite simply,one of the most inspiring books that I've ever read,Thank You, Carl Perkins!



2. I'll admit it -- I'm biased toward Carl Perkins. I lived several years in his hometown of Jackson, TN and met him many times. Having those experiences, I was curious how this book would portray Mr. Perkins. After reading this book, I have more respect for Mr. Perkins. True, he wasn't perfect (who is?), but he had reason to be bitter about his career and his life, instead he never gave up. He pulled himself up after each setback and kept on striving. When you think about it, what would be the alternative? He was not only a great musician, but an active humanitarian. His work with children and their causes is nearly as impressive as his musical career, yet most people don't know of this. I went to Carl Perkins' funeral, and in the little city of Jackson, TN you would have thought time stood still. This book will give you the feeling of getting to know a true American success story . . .



3. An excellent and, what I feel honest (by both the narrator and writer) review and impression of one man's journey through life. Though Carl Perkins story is almost parallel to that of Johnny Cash's (if not "harder") this book goes beyond telling stories and conveys the emotions and impact of Mr. Perkins decisions and experiences.
   "They" really should make this life story a movie!



4. I really enjoyed this book. Unlike others that I have read (Little Richard, Chuck Berry, etc), this book is not an attempt to stake a claim to the title of "King of Rock and Roll". This book offers what appears to be an honest and humble look into the life of the King of Rockabilly. Perkins gives due credit to his influences and songwriting assistants, and honestly discusses his alcoholism.
   
   I personally believe that Carl was one of the truest talents in early rock and roll, and his importance as an innovator/songwriter/performer is vastly undervalued. Get this book, and the "Complete Sun Recordings", and you can't go wrong.



5. A very important book about one of the founding fathers. That may be a cliched phrase for a man who was repelled by the stale cliches abounding in pop music at the time of his career kick-off in 1954.
   But once again we have a biography written by two people - why would a poet like Carl need anybody more than an "editor"? Same goeswith Sun label buddy Scotty Moore - his book too had that unecessary naarrator - an excellent piece of prose, like with Carl, but the thought of it gets me depressed. Do you think Dylan or Costello would need a helper?
   '50s friend Chuck Berry did his all by himself. The defiant Rocker wrought the defiant Writer. (And baby, that is Rock and Roll....).
   Love reading about that Sun to Columbia to British career "rescue" period.
   As a CP fan/collector I was natuarlly disappointed in the lack of deatils as to the lesser-known should-been-million-sellers and the conspicuous absence of a much-needed sessionography. A Perkins *Discography* is always helpful. But when in the world am I gonna learn when and where he
   cut "We Did In '54?"

No comments about Pure Country: The Leon Kagarise Archives, 1961-1971 (Process).

4 comments about A Satisfied Mind: The Country Music Life of Porter Wagoner.

1. Eng is a constantly provocative writer, with insights into popular culture that resonate far beyond the immediate subject. This is one of the best biographies ever written of a country music star.



2. You have got to read this book! If you like country music. You have got to read this book. If you like the weird side of country music then you have to read this book. Even if you think you know Porter Wagoner this book will give you information that will amaze you.

   A rat nibbled part of his ear off when he was a child. He took the engagement ring pretty Miss Norma Jean threw back at him, when he refused to get a divorce, and had it made into a ring for Mel Tillis. He produced an album for preacher Tony Alamo on which Tony sings duets with his dead wife, who Tony had promised to raise from the dead. He brought James Brown to the Opry, and he performed country music to a disco beat. He pioneered the attempt to bring country music to crossover audiences.

   This book is not yellow journalism. Based on solid research, some cooperation from Porter, and many interviews, Steve Eng simply tells the amazing story of Porter Wagoner's amazing life. If more of America read this book and knew the facts about Porter, he would take his rightful place as a premiere icon of country music in popular culture.

   In here you will find the true story of Porter songs with cult followings like "The Rubber Room" and "George Leroy Chickashea". You'll also hear the unlikely story of his first big hit, "Satisfied Mind". Dolly Parton fans will find loads of information on her years with Porter.

   As you can tell, I love this book. I can't imagine a better one being written, although I hope someday that Porter himself will release the autobiography which he has described as "too hot" to publish. But even then you will need this book.




3. I started this book being interested in the life and music of Porter Wagoner. I finished it being a little burned out with the subject and glad to be done with it. BUT... I have to admit that I am not really a country music fan in the first place.
   
   It's kind of show-bizy, if you know what I mean.
   
   And I suspect I'm only getting half of the story behind the Porter-Dolly split.
   
   So... recommended if and only if you're a country music buff to begin with.



4. I ordered this item for my elderly mother. She tried to find this book in her local book stores, and was told that, not only did they not sell the book, but couldn't order it either. I was able to order the book online, and have it delivered right to my mother's house. My mother is extremely happy with her book.
   Candy

5 comments about Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California.

1. I simply can't recommend this book highly enough! It was the first scholarly work on Country Music that I read, and it really opened my eyes to country music as a serious field of study. Being a native Californian, I had always been aware of the pivotal role the CA scene played in Country Music history, I was exposed to the music of Haggard at an early age and became familiar with the music of Buck Owens through Hee Haw, but I didn't know too much about other important players such as Chester Smith, The Maddox Bros & Rose, Wynn Stewart Etc. This book inspired me to go out and discover the music of these pioneering artists. The author also discusses the way rock and roll influenced west coast country and vice versa. If you're a serious student of country music history, this book is a must read! It should be required reading in all CA schools :)



2. Nashville has not always been the home of country music. Following migrations westward from the South and Dust Bowl states during the 1930s and 1940s, country music flourished in California, where it thrived in Hollywood, throughout the agricultural interior valleys and around the war-related industries in Los Angeles. And it continued in the post-war years, peaking in creative output one final time in the 1960s.
   
   Author Gerald Haslam's history of country music in California tells a story full of rich appreciation for its many musical styles, from hillbilly (the Crockett Family, seen on the cover), to the singing cowboys (Gene Autry), to the heyday of western swing (Bob Wills and Spade Cooley), to Tennessee Ernie Ford, and the Bakersfield music scene, centered around Buck Owens in the 1960s. Haslam then tracks its story since those golden years in the careers of Californians who made it big in the Nashville years, such as Merle Haggard.
   
   Haslam's sympathies are clearly with performers who have bucked the homogenizing trends of Nashville and the dominance of a music today that calls itself country but has largely lost contact with its roots. He praises the musical mavericks and outlaws who keep traditional and "hard" country alive in California, giving special attention to Dwight Yoakum, who stubbornly and fiercely chose Los Angeles as a base to launch a career that got national attention in the 1980s.
   
   You may or may not love the author's blue-collar bias. He notes the frequent theme of discontent in traditional country music, characterizing it as the music of the hard-working men and women who labor not always successfully in pursuit of an American dream. Their yearning for simpler times and rural values is a sensibility mostly absent from today's country play lists, with only rare exceptions like Alan Jackson. It's a sentiment that finds its parallel in the traditionalist's dislike for the urban market-driven output of Nashville's lucrative music industry.
   
   This is a highly readable book, with over 50 photographs of performers, and it's also a reference based on a good deal of scholarship. There's a 22-page bibliography and both a song title index and a subject index covering another 24 pages. Readers interested in western swing will especially appreciate the author's extensive study of this subject. As a companion volume, I'd also recommend "The Rough Guide to Country Music."



3. Nobody doubts the importance of Texas and Tennessee in the development of country music, yet the substantial contribution of California to country music is often ignored. At first glance, this is understandable, since the Californian music scene is generally dominated by the major cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. However, these two cities are several hundred miles apart and much of the territory in between is deeply rural, populated by people displaced from other states, who took their music with them when they migrated. In particular, Bakersfield and its surrounding area became a hotbed of country music. This is the area from which the author comes, but in this book he covers all aspects of the California country music scene including Hollywood's contribution.
   
   Whole chapters are devoted to the Crockett family, Gene Autry, Bob Wills, Spade Cooley, Rose Maddox and her brothers, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam. These are clearly the artists that the author regards as the most important to the development of Californian country music and I'm certainly not going to argue with him. While very few people these days know about the Crockett family, they were California's first country stars even if (as it seems) their appeal did not extend beyond their home state.
   
   Between the chapters devoted to individual artists, there are chapters devoted to particular decades. These chapters describe all the remaining significant artists. Early on, the author attempts to define country music but, as we all know, it is impossible to define. Being unable to clearly define the music, the author covers the music in all its aspects from traditional to contemporary singers but focuses mainly on tradition. Thus, Glen Campbell (born in Arkansas but who made his career in California) and Barbara Mandrell (born in Texas but raised in California from an early age) are given due coverage, their achievements being far too important to ignore. Although I love their music, I know as much as I want to from elsewhere. It is important that they are covered but they are not the reason to buy this book.
   
   Apart from the chapters on the selected major traditional artists, this book serves as a reminder of many great but obscure performers such as Kate Wolf, who seemed set to make a major commercial breakthrough with her brand of folk-country music but died of leukaemia before she could capitalize on her growing popularity.
   
   Country-rock is covered too - there is a page devoted to a family tree showing how various performers switched between various groups - the Byrds, the Eagles, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills and Nash, Poco and a few others. It's not complete (no Dillard and Clark Expedition, no Desert Rose Band) but it covers all the line-ups that most people are interested in. A truly comprehensive family tree would take too much space to make it easy to follow.
   
   This book is a real treasure trove of information about country music in California but if it whets your appetite for more reading, there is a selected bibliography that runs to over twenty pages.
   
   Every country music fan can learn much about the history of the music from this book, which proves that California has played a major role in the development of country music - maybe not quite as important as Tennessee and Texas, but far more important than most people realize.



4. Think of country music and you think of the South automatically - but California too has been the source of many a notable country music artists, and here's Workin' Man Blues: Country Music In California by Gerald Haslam with the assistance of Alexandra Haslam Russell and Richard Chonto celebrates and highlights that fact. Chapters cover a range of artists who contributed to the genre, from early immigrants to California to later stars. Bob Wills, Gene Autry, Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam: the lives of each famous contributor to the genre is linked with California musical history as a whole, creating a vivid interplay between musical history and biography. Outstanding.



5. In "Workin' Man Blues," native son of the Oildale/Bakersfield area Gerald Haslam explores the mostly ignored role the Golden State played in the creation, evolution, and popularization of Country-Western Music.
   
   Haslam (a retired California State University, Sonoma, English professor) explores the music's origins and by decades to explain where Country came from, how Western got added, the conflicting Nashville and California sounds, and why performers wear fancy clothing despite singing about the poor, outsiders and the working class. Haslam puts the music into the national context, showing how the performers and audience came West with the Dust Bowl migration and World War II's industrialization of Southern California.
   
   He describes how the music's multiple currents -- bluegrass, hillbilly, rockabilly, Western swing, folk, country-rock, Old Time, mountain, and singing cowboys -- led to or were influenced by honky-tonks, dance halls, the horse opera Western movies Hollywood produced, the arrival and dominance of radio, and then the transition to television.
   
   I have listened to Country-Western for nearly 35 years and didn't realize how little I knew about it until I read this well-researched and well-written piece of California's and America's cultural history.

5 comments about The Jimmy Buffet Scrapbook.

1. A must for all Parrothead and Key West lovers! Even for non-Buffet fans, good insights on other artists that influenced Jimmy including writers, great folk and country singers. Uses lots of unique media to set the mood--postcards, photos, album art, vintage paperback covers and illustrations. Lots of my friends wish the Publisher would have made a bigger printing or would re-release this book. This book captures the spirit of the Jimmy Buffet experience.



2. Who doesn't look at their high school yearbook and reminesce? If you've been to many Buffett concerts or attended any of his events, this is a fun look back. Being a Parrothead for most of my life, this is my coffee table book!! Would only be better if Buffett wrote it himself.



3. Who doesn't look at their high school yearbook and reminesce? If you've been to many Buffett concerts or attended any of his events, this is a fun look back. Being a Parrothead for most of my life, this is my coffee table book!! Would only be better if Buffett wrote it himself.



4. This book is full of great pictures and in my opinion is the best book for Tropical music / Buffett researchers that you can obtain. Very interesting and insightful. I loved this book! ...the real Jimmy Buffett. A fun book!



5. Good references to Jimmy's literary and musical sources. Not a well-written book, sometimes reading like an "authorized bio" marketing piece, sometimes like a pseudo-hip period piece.
   
   It overemphasizes Jimmy's earlier periods of drugs and alcohol. While I personally want to think that Jimmy lifestyle wasn't that bad, I also know that a businessman who could build the "dream" business he has built around his lifestyle had to be in control of his facilities and faculties to a very large extent even in the early days.
   
   I would use this book primarily as a reference source for additional reading and research on Buffett.

1 comments about The Wedding That Saved a Town (Kar-Ben Favorites).

1. REVIEWED BY: Gayle Jacobson-Huset, Managing Editor
   
   Yiske and his Klezmer Band are invited by Rabbi Yamford to play at a wedding in the town of Pinske. After they arrive, the Band rests while Yiske goes to talk to the Rabbi. He finds out that the town is in the midst of a cholera epidemic. The Rabbi is planning a Shvartze Chaseneh or
   "Black Wedding" to help rid the town of cholera since they've tried everything else. If two orphans get married in a cemetery, then a miracle may happen. The Rabbi has a bride picked out, but there's no groom, so Yiske and his faithful horse Fairdy go in search of just the right groom. Did Yiske find one? Were the townspeople too sick to go to the wedding? Did people get 'creeped out" about attending a wedding in a cemetery? You will just have to read this very interesting book to see what happens next! The author supplies a Glossary of Yiddish words at the end of the story as well as an explanation of how "black weddings" came about.
   
   This was a well-written book with great "voice" for the characters that all had some really fun-sounding names. I really enjoyed the cute illustrations by Jenya Prosmitsky also. I give this book a high-five for keeping the reader interested to the very end, and for teaching all of us about the legend of the black weddings, something I'd never heard of previous to reading this cute book!

5 comments about Perfect Sound Forever: The Story of Pavement.

1. First the good news: "Perfect Sound Forever" makes you listen to your entire collection of Pavement records again, maybe even with the same enthusiasm as when you first heard the band, searching for sounds or elements in the music that you didn't notice before. But does it tell the complete story about the band that transformed alternative rock in the 90's? The answer, I'm sorry to tell, must be no. The composition of the story is too unbalanced to ever gain the status as the Pavement Bible. The first serious attempt to write the history of the band was only too welcome, especially since the Slow Century documentary left too many questions unanswered - at times I think of it as a film that was never completed (The DVD is definetely worth purchasing though). Unfortunately, "Perfect Sound Forever", starting of so promising, with the clever and entertaining introductions of the different bandmebers, also seems to lose its direction about half-way through the book - for Pavement-fans meaning somewhere around Wowee Zowee. Where Jovanovic at first was so thorough, and the story was so rich with fine and fun details, he now seems to tell us that this part is not that interesting, or that record was not so important, so let's just cut to the end. As a reader and Pavement-fan, this leads me to think that 1) The author is of the opinion that Pavemtns early years where far more important than the later ones, or 2) He didn't do good enough research to complete his work - or simply got tired of the project and just wanted to finish his book as fast as possible. If the answer is 1), Jovanovic should simply have made a book about Pavements earliest career. My general feelings, though, tell me that the answer is closer to the second alternative. Let me leave no doubt that this is a book well worth purchasing for every Pavement fan. Jovanovics passion for Pavement and their music makes a fun read at most times. But Jovanovic is not a historian, and if you are looking for the full story about your favourite lo-fi stars, the search is not through. I still don't know why High Llamas-member Dominic Mercott playd the drums on Carrot Rope and Major Leagues, or where and when the songs on the Major League-Ep where recorded. Perhaps someday, in a book that finishes the way it starts, I will get the answers. Overall close to 3 stars, but for making me remember why I love Pavements music, it gets 4.



2. If you're a pavement fan then I highly recommend this book. If you aren't a fan, then it probably isn't for you. However, if you are a pavement fan who would like to know more about this band, how their songs and albums came together and the relationship between the members and the band's dynamic and why they split, then I say go for it. If you like quirky sidenotes and memorabillia (IE college radio station playlists from 1989, Drag City newsletters, reviews of everything from early 7"s to all of the full length albums, hand written notes between band members, tour riders, and a comprehensive discograpahy) then you'll dig this.
   
   The reviewer above who called it a "cut and paste job" is way, way off the mark. While it is true that parts of the book were taken from alternative mags of the 90s, these are noted as such and are really cool (like song by song explanations for Crooked Rain Crooked Rain and wowee zowee hand written by SM). I've been a pavement fan since the beginning and have many mags and numerous bootlegs and slow century etc etc and still found all sorts of stuff I didn't know, a lot of fresh information. The reviewer who said it will make you want to relisten to all of your pavement stuff was absolutely right. After finishing the book I found myself listening to live shows and the albums with a newfound appreciation and insight (since they've been a favorite of mine since '91 this is really cool). Worth the price yeah!!!



3. i know you love pavement. so do i. but don't buy this book. it reads like a high school paper copied from cliff notes. many of the lines in the book are lifted right from the dvd.



4. I was excited to finally find a book about perhaps my favorite band. The early narrative about Pavement's origins and first recordings is excellent, but the author breezes through the later albums without much discussion. The photos, setlists, zine reviews and other miscellany are nice, but at only 216 pages this could use more text for the list price. Despite its faults I enjoyed reading this, hence the four stars.



5. Yeah, parts of it are a cut and pasting of various articles and quotes from the DVD. But the beauty of the book is the synthesis of these parts combined with the author's interviews to create a well-documented and thoroughly researched account of the history of the band. It showed a logical progression of Pavement's history from early influences, band members meeting, creating amazing albums, and the problems that unfortunately broke them up. It's very convenient and resourceful to have all the information, such as EP reviews from obscure music magazines, in one place at least. To enjoy it for what it is, a definitive account of the history of Pavement, definitely makes it a great read for fans.

No comments about Billboard Top Rock 'n' Roll Hits Of The 80's (Piano-Vocal-Guitar Series).

1 comments about The Great American Country Songbook (Easy Guitar with Notes & Tab).

1. I bought this book for my husband - a classic country music lover and a guitar "picker". He was spent hours enjoying this book. I have anjoyed listening to him develop new skills and being serenaded. If you love classic country - you should buy this one. The chords are not for the stark beginner, but are still simple enough for those that are not highly accomplished. I love that it shows as well as names the chords, so if you don't know that chord you can easily figure it out.

5 comments about Holiday In Your Heart.

1. This book is far from the heartwarming review it got from its co-writer, LeAnn. It revolves around bad times and death. Not to mention that the story idea is completely unoriginal. It stems from LeAnn's own life (even the title character, Anna Lee, shows Miss Rimes's lack of imagination) - from the death of her Godfather to singing at the Grand Old Opry. It can hardly be called fiction. It is a very depressing, morbid, unoriginal book, and like the movie, I do not recommend it at all.



2. Have you ever read a book that actually made you cry? I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in country music or likes to hear about other people's life stories. I really liked HOLIDAY IN YOUR HEART mainly because the authors described every event in very good detail, and made me more and more interested in reading the book.



3. Holiday in you Heart is a great book. I only wish that I could have saw the movie. I read the book every year around the Christmas Season. It is a great book. I think all LeAnn Rimes fans should get the book.



4. I think this book was a excellent book. Anyone who likes country music or leann rimes should read the book. The movie was also a very good movie. Both are very touching and will bring out the holiday in your heart.



5. Okay. I knew she could sing but, writing a book?? It's great I think!! This book was shortly after being released, turned into a movie on the life of a girl who always dreamed of singing at the Grand Ole Opry. Her dreams come true when one of the acts cancells and can't sing. The next in like is LeAnn. I've seen the movie but I haven't read the book yet. If the book is just like the movie, I'm sure it's a great book!! I loved the movie and while watching the movie, I wrote down the songs that were sung and mentioned in the movie, and made a soundtrack which can be purchased by email me at Godschild4ever2001@yahoo.com! It's the best album you can get if you like the movie, LeAnn, and her music!!