Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life Of Bill Monroe, Father Of Bluegrass

Synopsis

From the book jacket: Elvis Presley chose one of his songs, "Blue Moon of Kentucky," for his first single. A young Jerry Garcia traveled crosscountry to audition for his band. Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, and even Frank Sinatra were fans. Considering the range of stars and styles that claim him as an influence, no single artist has had as broad an impact on American popular music as Bill Monroe. Born in 1911 in rural Kentucky, Monroe melded the fiddle tunes, ballads, and blues of his youth into the "high lonesome" sound known today as bluegrass, making him perhaps the only performer to create an entire musical genre. His distinctive bluegrass style profoundly influenced country, early rock 'n' roll, and the folk revival of the 1960s. A Grand Ole Opry star for almost sixty years, Monroe was a searing mandolinist who redefined the instrument, a haunting high-range vocalist, and a godlike figure to generations of admirers who became famous in their own right. When Monroe died in 1996, he was universally acclaimed as "the Father of Bluegrass," but the personal life of this taciturn figure remained largely unknown. His childhood feelings of isolation and abandonment- "lonesomeness" he called it-fueled his reckless womanizing in adulthood and inspired his most powerful compositions. From his professional breakthrough in the Monroe Brothers duet act to his bitter rivalry with former sidemen Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs to his final days as a revered elder statesman of bluegrass, Monroe's career was filled with trials and triumphs. Now, veteran bluegrass journalist Richard D. Smith has interviewed a multitude of Monroe's surviving friends, lovers, colleagues, and contemporaries to create a three-dimensional portrait of this brilliant, complex, and contradictory man. Compel lingly narrated and thoroughly researched, Can't You Hear Me Callin' is the definitive biography of a true giant of American music. RICHARD D. SMITH is a journalist whose work has appeared in a number of national publications, including the NewYork Times, Bloomberg magazine, and the Journal of Country Music. The author of Bluegrass: An Informal Guide, he is also a reviewer for Bluegrass Unlimited magazine and plays mandolin and guitar. He lives in Rocky Hill, New Jersey.

Copyright:

2000

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

364 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780316803816

Publisher:

N/A

Date of Addition:

09/26/06

Copyrighted By:

Richard D. Smith

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Entertainment, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Music

Submitted By:

Richard James

Proofread By:

Laura Ann

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.