Don Cusic – författare

"Take the backroads, not the highways," Minnie Pearl often said—a sentiment that captures her life's winding, unpredictable journey. Born Sarah Ophelia Colley in 1912, she grew up in Centerville, Tennessee. This small-town upbringing inspired her imagined hometown of Grinder's Switch.During the Great Depression, Sarah moved to Nashville to study theater at the Ward-Belmont School. After graduating, she joined a touring theater company and performed throughout the Southeast. It was on the road, in 1936, that she met and stayed with Mattie Burden. Mattie became the inspiration for Minnie Pearl's iconic persona—a witty country girl known for her signature greeting and straw hat with a dangling price tag.Minnie Pearl's big break came in 1940 when a friend of a WSM radio executive saw her perform and recommended her for the Grand Ole Opry. Her debut marked the beginning of a career that spanned more than fifty years. Garth Brooks later remarked, "When she walked out, everybody waited for the 'How-dee!' It's just two syllables, one word, but every time she said it—it felt like it was just for you."At the Opry, the "Queen of Country Comedy" shared the spotlight with legends like Patsy Cline and Hank Williams. After World War II, she became a mentor and matriarch, befriending a young June Carter and warming up the crowd for Johnny Cash's Opry debut in 1955.Throughout her career, Cannon skillfully balanced her dual roles as Minnie and Sarah. Whether at the Opry, on the road, or on Hee Haw, Minnie remained a trusted friend to female performers like Dolly Parton, Tanya Tucker, and Reba McEntire. As k.d. lang noted, "Minnie understood where country music needed to go and who it needed to embrace. She was a visionary."Rich with 155 historic photographs, this definitive biography covers the many chapters of Sarah Cannon's life. Drawing from archives and interviews with those who knew her, Howdy! The Minnie Pearl Story, captures not only Cannon's enduring humor and impact, but also the woman behind the laughter.

The first comprehensive overview of contemporary inspirational music, covering its historical roots and dramatic growth into one of America's most vital music genres.The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music: Pop, Rock, and Worship is the first comprehensive reference work on a form of American music that is far more popular than nonfans may realize. It fills a major gap in the literature on American music and Christian culture, looking at this increasingly popular genre in the context of the overall history of religious music in the United States. With over 200 entries, The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music covers important performers and industry figures, songs and albums, concerts and festivals, the rise of Christian radio and television, and other issues related to the growth of inspirational music. Scholars and fans alike will find a wealth of revealing information and insightful coverage illustrating the influence of gospel on modern American music with musicians such as Elvis, Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and U2.The work also examines the use of fundamental rock, pop, and rap music templates in the service of songs of faith.

The first comprehensive overview of contemporary inspirational music, covering its historical roots and dramatic growth into one of America''s most vital music genres.The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music: Pop, Rock, and Worship is the first comprehensive reference work on a form of American music that is far more popular than nonfans may realize. It fills a major gap in the literature on American music and Christian culture, looking at this increasingly popular genre in the context of the overall history of religious music in the United States. With over 200 entries, The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music covers important performers and industry figures, songs and albums, concerts and festivals, the rise of Christian radio and television, and other issues related to the growth of inspirational music. Scholars and fans alike will find a wealth of revealing information and insightful coverage illustrating the influence of gospel on modern American music with musicians such as Elvis, Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and U2.The work also examines the use of fundamental rock, pop, and rap music templates in the service of songs of faith.

Discovering Country Music chronicles the incredible evolution of country music in America - from the fiddle to the pop charts - and provides an insightful account of the reasons and motives that have determined its various transformations and offshoots over the years. In order to understand what country music is, and why, it is essential to understand how it makes its money — the basic revenue streams, the major companies involved, and how country artists are booked and marketed. Author Don Cusic helps readers do that, and goes even further, covering not only the business and the technology that have shaped the industry, but also tackling the question of country's relationship to the other major genres of the American recording industry, including pop, blues, and rock music.Discovering Country Music is broken down into ten sections which include: key musical trends; ancillary business trends such as recording technology, radio, and the recording industry; and prominent artists, including as a small sample Stephen Foster, The Carter Family, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Kenny Chesney. This work should appeal to fans, scholars, educators, libraries and the general reader alike.

Discovering Country Music chronicles the incredible evolution of country music in America - from the fiddle to the pop charts - and provides an insightful account of the reasons and motives that have determined its various transformations and offshoots over the years. In order to understand what country music is, and why, it is essential to understand how it makes its money — the basic revenue streams, the major companies involved, and how country artists are booked and marketed. Author Don Cusic helps readers do that, and goes even further, covering not only the business and the technology that have shaped the industry, but also tackling the question of country's relationship to the other major genres of the American recording industry, including pop, blues, and rock music.Discovering Country Music is broken down into ten sections which include: key musical trends; ancillary business trends such as recording technology, radio, and the recording industry; and prominent artists, including as a small sample Stephen Foster, The Carter Family, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Kenny Chesney. This work should appeal to fans, scholars, educators, libraries and the general reader alike.

Born in 1856 in Thomasville, Georgia, Henry Ossian Flipper was nine at the end of the Civil War. His parents, part of a privileged upper class of slaves, were allowed to operate an independent business under the protection of their owner. This placed Henry in an excellent position to take advantage of new educational opportunities opening up to African Americans and he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1877.Flipper served at Fort Sill in what is now Oklahoma; took part in the Indian Wars; and served at Fort Davis in Texas, where a court-martial relating to missing funds ended his Army career with a dishonorable discharge. He later was an assistant to the Secretary of the Interior during the early 1920s Harding administration, and died in 1940.Investigations into the circumstances of Flipper's court-martial resulted in an upgrade to honorable discharge in 1976 and a posthumous pardon from President Clinton in 1999. Passages from Flipper's 1878 autobiography and excerpts from contemporary military reports and newspaper articles contribute firsthand observations to this biography of West Point's first black graduate.

Gene Autry was the first of the wildly popular "singing cowboys" of the thirties and forties and the man who carried the flag for "western" in "country and western," popularizing the genre's marriage of seemingly disparate western and hillbilly influences. Beyond his highly successful recording career, his on-screen persona influenced an entire generation of American boys. Autry, an accomplished investor and businessman, was a longtime owner of Major League Baseball's Angels franchise.This meticulously researched biography takes the reader from Gene Autry's childhood in Oklahoma through his phenomenally successful career as a singer and actor, and covers his later triumphs in business and sports. Of particular interest is the book's detailed day-to-day treatment of Autry's performing career, with a wealth of information on each recording session and film shoot, including key personnel (e.g., songwriters, engineers, directors, crew) and interesting anecdotes. The work includes information from the author's own interviews with Autry's contemporaries.

This series of biographical profiles shines a spotlight on that special place "Where the West meets the Guitar." From Gene Autry and Roy Rogers to contemporary artists like Michael Murphy, Red Steagall, Don Edwards and Riders in the Sky, many entertainers have performed music of the West, a genre separate from mainstream country music and yet an important part of the country music heritage. Once called "Country and Western," it is now described as "Country or Western." Though much has been written about "Country," very little has been written about "Western"--until now.Featured are a number of photos of the top stars in Western music, past and present. Also included is an extensive bibliography of works related to the Western music field.

It's the Cowboy Way! tells the full story of the amazing true adventures of group members Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, Too Slim, and Joey "The CowPolka King" for the first time, from their first gigs at "Herr Harry's Phranks 'N' Steins," in Nashville, to their rise to the top of the Grammy heap. Since 1977, Riders In The Sky has faithfully tended a musical tradition kindled by singing cowboy legends, such as Gene Autry and the Sons Of The Pioneers. Throughout its long career, the group has branded the genre with its own mark, crafting a well-balanced mix of both classic and original western songs -- smooth harmony, hot licks, and comedy. Over the past quarter of a century, and more than 4,500 shows, 290 national TV appearances, 203 public radio shows, nearly 700 Grand Ole Opry appearances, 2.3 million miles on the road, two Grammy Awards, three television series, and 31 albums down the trail, a group that began with a commitment to carry on an American musical tradition has itself become a national treasure.

It's the Cowboy Way! tells the full story of the amazing true adventures of group members Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, Too Slim, and Joey "The CowPolka King" for the first time, from their first gigs at "Herr Harry's Phranks 'N' Steins," in Nashville, to their rise to the top of the Grammy heap. Since 1977, Riders In The Sky has faithfully tended a musical tradition kindled by singing cowboy legends, such as Gene Autry and the Sons Of The Pioneers. Throughout its long career, the group has branded the genre with its own mark, crafting a well-balanced mix of both classic and original western songssmooth harmony, hot licks, and comedy. Over the past quarter of a century, and more than 4,500 shows, 290 national TV appearances, 203 public radio shows, nearly 700 Grand Ole Opry appearances, 2.3 million miles on the road, two Grammy Awards, three television series, and 31 albums down the trail, a group that began with a commitment to carry on an American musical tradition has itself become a national treasure.

Chet Atkins was arguably the most influential American guitarist of the twentieth century and, through his work as a recording executive, is often credited as a founder of the Nashville Sound. In Chet Atkins: Mr. Guitar, noted music historian Don Cusic illuminates the legend, detailing Atkins’s work as a guitarist, producer, music executive, and guitar designer, while also exploring his roles as mentor, friend, and husband.Born in 1924 in Luttrell, Tennessee, Chester (Chet) Burton Atkins taught himself to play several instruments. A lifelong musician, he started his career playing alongside many other legendary entertainers, such as Red Foley, the Carter Family, Hank Snow, and Eddy Arnold. In the 1950s, as an RCA Victor manager, producer, and musician, Atkins was one of the early architects of the Nashville Sound, which led to the first crossover country-pop hits. He was also there at the beginning of rock and roll and played on the early recordings of Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers. When the Beatles came to the United States in February 1964, the lead guitarist, George Harrison, was seen on TV playing a Gretsch guitar designed by Chet Atkins. By the end of his life in 2001, Atkins had recorded more than one hundred solo albums; won fourteen Grammys, including a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement, and nine Country Music Association Instrumentalist awards; and was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. His innovative playing style has inspired such musicians as Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Earl Klugh, Tommy Emmanuel, Doc Watson, Lenny Breau, and Jerry Reed.

The histories of baseball and country music ran in parallel tracks from the fringes to the mainstream, gaining exposure and building heroes, first via radio broadcasts and then on the television screen. Both evolved with American society through wartime, the Civil Rights movement, and into the age of multimillion dollar superstars. Don Cusic offers an engaging and insightful analysis that addresses race, gender, class, ethnicity, business practices and marketing, performance, media, and the cult of celebrity.