The Oxford American Book of Great Music Writing

Contents

Contents Acknowledgments xiii Foreword by Van Dyke Parks xv Introduction by Marc Smirnoff xvii ★ Blues Various Artists: Falling Into Place by Peter Guralnick (2000) 3 Leadbelly by Robert Gordon (1999) 8 Bessie Smith by Carol Ann Fitzgerald (2005) 14 ★ Country Jimmy Martin by Tom Piazza (1996) 27 vii 1SMIRNOFF_pages.qxd 8/27/08 10:43 AM Page vii ★ Early History Blind Tom Wiggins by John Ryan Seawright (1998) 51 Emmett Miller by Nick Tosches (1996) 60 ★ Rock & Roll/Pop My Morning Jacket by William Bowers (2003) 73 Janis Joplin by Cynthia Shearer (1996) 86 Chris Bell by John Jeremiah Sullivan (2003) 94 Jim White by Lee Durkee (2001) 100 ★ Jazz Eartha Kitt by Jack Hitt (2006) 111 Henry “Red” Allen by David Gates (2005) 115 ★ Folk/Bluegrass Doc Watson by William Gay (2000) 125 Fred Neil by Mike Powell (2007) 133 Iris DeMent by Kevin Brockmeier (2007) 139 viii THE OXFORD AMERICAN 1SMIRNOFF_pages.qxd 8/27/08 10:43 AM Page viii ★ R&B/Soul Ray Charles by Roy Blount, Jr. (2005) 151 Dusty Springfield by Jerry Wexler (1999) 156 Joe Tex (a short story) by Michael Parker (2005) 160 Ike Turner by John Lewis (1999) 166 ★ Family My Mother’s Blues by Sheryl St. Germain (2007) 177 About a Girl by Wendy Brenner (2006) 182 ★ Rockabilly Jerry Lee Lewis by John Fergus Ryan (1995) 193 ★ Southern Rock The Allman Brothers by John T. Edge (2000) 207 Lynyrd Skynyrd by Diane Roberts (2001) 212 Lynyrd Skynyrd (a short story) by Ron Rash (2006) 215 ★ Southern Heavy Metal An Ode by Bret Anthony Johnston (2006) 223 BOOK OF GREAT MUSIC WRITING ix 1SMIRNOFF_pages.qxd 8/27/08 10:43 AM Page ix ★ Blues: Dept. of R.L. Burnside Authenticity Be Damned! by Will Blythe (2003) 229 Why I Wear My Mojo Hand by Robert Palmer (1996) 234 Walking After Midnight by Sven Birkerts (1998) 236 Homage to a Juke Joint by Beth Ann Fennelly (2006) 241 ★ Rock & Roll II Captain Beefheart by Mark Richard (1998) 247 The Sex Pistols by Mark Binelli (1998) 251 ★ R&B: Dept. of Al Green Raw and Born Again by Jeff Sharlet (2005) 259 Only His Voice Made Us Feel This Way by Susan Straight (2005) 263 ★ Dept. of Elvis Bill Haney by Tom Graves (1996) 269 ★ Rock & Roll/Pop III R.E.M. by Elizabeth Wurtzel (1993) 285 Bobbie Gentry by Ron Carlson (1998) 293 x THE OXFORD AMERICAN 1SMIRNOFF_pages.qxd 8/27/08 10:43 AM Page x Randy Newman by Anthony Walton (2000) 296 1967 (a poem) by Billy Collins (2005) 301 Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ by Chris Bachelder (2006) 304 ★ Jazz II King Pleasure by Michael Perry (2003) 313 Bob Dorough by Paul Reyes (2007) 318 ★ Blues II Hunting for Old Records: A True Story by R. Crumb (1996) 337 Portrait of the Artist as an Aging Lightnin’ Hopkins Enthusiast by Joe Sacco (2005) 338 ★ Rockabilly II Carl Perkins (an interview) by Joseph G. Tidwell III (1996) 343 Dale Hawkins by Lauren Wilcox (2005) 349 ★ Playing Notes from the Underground (Twang Tour) by Marty Stuart (1998) 359 Lucinda Williams (as told to) Marc Woodworth (1996) 365 BOOK OF GREAT MUSIC WRITING xi 1SMIRNOFF_pages.qxd 8/27/08 10:43 AM Page xi Guitar Lessons by Steve Yarbrough (1996) 371 ★ Classical/Avant-Garde Moondog by Daniel Alarcón (2005) 381 A Love Set to Music by P. Revess (1996) 385 At the Young Composer’s Concert (a poem) by Donald Justice (2000) 387 ★ Playing II The Song of a Sad Café by Don Asher (2000) 391 Banjo by Steve Martin (1999) 402 The Most Human Sound by Rosanne Cash (1996) 407 Contributors 411 Credits 421 xii THE OXFORD AMERICAN 1SMIRNOFF_pages.qxd 8/27/08 10:43 AM Page xii ...