The companion book to the groundbreaking PBS and BBC documentary series celebrating the pioneers and artists of American roots music—blues, gospel, folk, Cajun, Appalachian, Hawaiian, Native American—without which there would be no jazz, rock, country R&B, or hip hop today.Jack White, T. Bone Burnett, and Robert Redford have teamed up to executive produce American Epic, a historical music project exploring the pivotal recording journeys of the early twenti...

The companion book to the groundbreaking PBS and BBC documentary series celebrating the pioneers and artists of American roots music—blues, gospel, folk, Cajun, Appalachian, Hawaiian, Native American—without which there would be no jazz, rock, country R&B, or hip hop today.In the 1920s and 1930s, as radio took over the pop music business, record companies were forced to leave their studios in major cities in search of new styles and markets. Ranging the mountains, prairies, rural v...

The expression of innovative women in acoustic and electric blues music is both vital and far-reaching. From the beginning, remarkable female artists have helped shape popular music with important blues contributions. As a result, their legacy should be kept in mind.This book commemorates a select group of noteworthy women chosen for their compelling collective vibe along with an incredible music mojo. Read Seven Celebrated Women of the Blues and share the writer's enjoyment.

The perfect companion to Baz Luhrmann's forthcoming biopic Elvis, a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler.What was it like to be Elvis Presley? What did it feel like when impossible fame made him its prisoner? As the world's first rock star there was no one to tell him what to expect, no one with whom he could share the burden of being himself - of being Elvis.On the outside he was all charm, sex appeal, outrageously confident o...

George Goodman's Harmonica Cheat Sheet is a combination of three great tools to kick-start your harmonica playing.Included are- The Blues Harp Chart: provides chords, cross harp key, 12 Bar Blues Progression, and Blues Scale harmonica tabs covering all 12 keys.- Major Key Degrees of Scale: unveils blow and draw holes for all diatonic chord tones. These are the notes that make up the majority of notes in any melody. It is also very valuable in helping determine song key...

Teach yourself how to play guitar with our easy guitar lessons for beginners.***Comes with online access to free guitar videos and audio demonstrating all examples. See and hear how each one is played by a teacher, then play along with the backing band. Also includes music score animation for easy music learning.***"Great, and a fun way to learn. Very good well written easy to follow book […] this book would suit both young and old." - Driver [Amaz...

Teach yourself how to play guitar with our easy rock guitar lessons for beginners.***Comes with online access to free audio demonstrating all examples. Hear how each one is played by a teacher, then play along with the backing band.***"A great buy! I bought a guitar a while ago, but never figured out how to play until I found this book. It covers quite an extensive amount of material. Highly recommended." - Jim O’Connor, Casper, WYProgressi...

When Jimi Hendrix transfixed the crowds of Woodstock with his gripping version of "The Star Spangled Banner," he was building on a foundation reaching back, in part, to the revolutionary guitar playing of Howlin' Wolf and the other great Chicago bluesmen, and to the Delta blues tradition before him. But in its unforgettable introduction, followed by his unaccompanied "talking" guitar passage and inserted calls and responses at key points in the musical narrative, Hendrix's performance of t...

A beloved folk singer presents an impassioned account of the fall and rise of the small American towns she cherishes.Dubbed by the New Yorker as "one of America's very best singer-songwriters," Dar Williams has made her career not in stadiums, but touring America's small towns. She has played their venues, composed in their coffee shops, and drunk in their bars. She has seen these communities struggle, but also seen them thrive in the face of postindustria...

Perhaps the most widely recognized figure in folk music and one of the most well-known figures in American political activism, Pete Seeger now belongs among the icons of 20th-century American culture. The road to his current status as activist and respected voice of folk music was long and often rough, starting from the moment he dropped out of Harvard in the late 1930s and picked up a banjo. Editors Ronald Cohen and James Capaldi trace Seeger's long and storied career, focusing on his wor...

Sang Thong: A Dance-Drama from Thailand, a beloved treasure of Thailand's classical theater is now available for the first time in English.Composed by King Rama II and his court poets early in the 19th century, this captivating dance-drama blends ribald humor, sharp observation, and graceful poetry. Its incidents are based on age-old Asian legends and on vigorous folk-traditions of the Thai countryside, where King Rama II had been raised as a commoner befo...

Influenced at a young age by classic country, Tejano, western swing, and the popular music of wartime America, blues musician Delbert McClinton grew up with a backstage pass to some of the most significant moments in American cultural and music history. From his birth on the high plains of West Texas during World War II to headlining sold-out cruises on chartered luxury ships well into his seventies, McClinton admits he has been “One of the Fortunate Few.”This book chronicles McCli...