Pressing On: The Roni Stoneman Story

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T H E R O N I S T O N E M A N S T O R Y AS TOLD TO pressingon biography / music pres THE RONI STONEMAN STORY ILLINOIS “We already knew Roni as a first-rate banjo player and comic. This book reveals her as a sharp, observant, thinking woman, and a captivating storyteller.” —Murphy Henry, banjo player and columnist for Banjo Newsletter and Banjo Newsletter Bluegrass Unlimited “Pressing On is an Appalachian Angela’s Ashes told from a female perspective. It shares the story of Roni Stoneman’s private and public life with remarkable and appealing candor. It is a book full of unfolding revelations, told with a sense of humor, and without an ounce of selfpity . Her story is entertaining at times, heartbreaking at others, but always compelling.” —Sandy L. Ballard, editor of Appalachian Journal “This is a unique book: the authentic story, in her own voice, of a woman who was once one of America’s most widely known entertainers. There will never be another Roni Stoneman, and there will never be another book like this one.” —Elinor Langer, author of Josephine Herbst Photo courtesy of Bill Zimmerman ISBN 13: 978-0-252-07434-9 ,!7IA2F2-ahedej!:t;K;k;K;k THE RONI STONEMAN STORY roni stoneman as told to Ellen Wright This book recounts the fascinating life of Roni Stoneman, the youngest daughter of the pioneering country music family and a woman who, in spite of poverty and abusive husbands, eventually became “The First Lady of Banjo,” a fixture on the Nashville scene, and, as Hee Haw’s Ironing Board Lady (right), a comedienne beloved by millions of Americans nationwide. Drawn from more than seventy-five hours of recorded interviews, Pressing On reveals that Roni is also a master storyteller. In her own words and with characteristic spunk and candor, she describes her “pooristic” (“way beyond ‘poverty-stricken’”) Appalachian childhood, and how she learned from her brother Scott to play the challenging and innovative three-finger banjo-picking style developed by Earl Scruggs. She also warmly recounts Hee Haw–era aw aw adventures with Minnie Pearl, Roy Clark, and Buck Owens; her encounters as a musician with country greats including Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, June Carter, and Patsy Cline; as well as her personal struggles with shiftless and violent husbands , her relationships with her children, and her musical life after Hee Haw. ellen wright conducted the interviews with Roni and arranged and edited the transcriptions. In 2005, she was named the Charles Deering McCormick University Distinguished Lecturer at Northwestern University, where she teaches in the Writing Program. A volume in the series music in american life UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS Urbana & Chicago www.press.uillinois.edu Cover photo by Stu Geisbert, Stillwater Photography. Photo © 2005. ...