Tony Russell – författare

Discover the roots of country music with Vintage Country—an illustrated journey through 100+ pioneering artists, styles, and essential recordings. Vintage Country is the first illustrated book to explore the rural and urban roots of country music, tracing its evolution from early recordings and radio days to its 1940s–1950s rise, before Nashville’s dominance. Written by renowned historian Tony Russell, it profiles over 100 key artists and bands, including Jimmie Rodgers, Doc Boggs, Taylor’s Kentucky Boys, Red Foley, DeZurik Sisters, Carl T. Sprague, Hackberry Ramblers, Hank Williams, Molly O’Day, Merle Travis, and the Louvin Brothers. The book is organized into six chapters by style and era: pre-Depression “Old Time” music, Radio Years stars (1930s–WWII), cowboy & western music, Western swing, honky-tonk, and bluegrass. Each entry highlights the artist’s history, influences, and career, with an “essential recordings” list for quick reference. Richly illustrated with posters, sheet music, and artifacts, Vintage Country brings the genre’s origins to life through evocative visuals and expert storytelling, making it a compelling resource for music lovers and historians alike.

There are many biographies and histories of early country music and its creators, but surprisingly little attention has been given to the actual songs at the heart of these narratives. In this groundbreaking book, music historian Tony Russell turns the spotlight on seventy-eight original 78rpm discs of songs and tunes from the 1920s and 1930s, uncovering the hidden stories of how they came to be recorded, the musicians who sang and played them, the record companies that marketed them, and the listeners who absorbed them.In these essays, based upon new research, contemporary newspaper accounts, and previously unpublished interviews, and copiously illustrated with rare images, readers will find songs about home and family, love and courtship, crime and punishment, farms and floods, chain gangs and chain stores, journeys and memories, and many other aspects of life in the period. Rural Rhythm not only charts the tempos and styles of rural and small-town music-making and the origins of present-day country music, but also traces the larger rhythms of life in the American South, Southwest, and Midwest. What emerges is a narrative that ingeniously blends the musical and social history of the era.

More than twenty years in the making, Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942 documents all country music recording sessions from 1921 through to 1942. With primary research based on the files and session logs from record companies as well as the recording archives of the Country Music Foundation, this notable work will be the first compendium to accurately document every commercial country music recording, including unreleased sides. The discography includes alphabetical indexes to all song titles and musicians listed.

More than twenty years in the making, Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942 documents all country music recording sessions from 1921 through 1942. Until now, discographies of pre-World War II country music recordings were only to be found scattered in journals and fanzines, or in books devoted to single artists. With primary research based on files and session logs from record companies, interviews with surviving musicians, as well as the 200,000 recordings archived at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Frist Library and Archives, this notable work is the first compendium to accurately report the key details behind all the recording sessions of country music during the pre-World War II era. In doing so it tells the commercial story of the music's first two decades. From the first recordings of country music, this discography documents--in alphabetical order by artist--every commercial country music recording, including unreleased sides, and indicates, as completely as possible, the musicians playing at every session, as well as instrumentation. This massive undertaking encompasses 2,500 artists, 5,000 session musicians, and 10,000 songs. An introduction explains how to use the book, research methodology, and editorial policy; summary histories of each key record company are also provided, along with a bibliography. The discography includes indexes to all song titles and musicians listed.

Graced by more than 200 illustrations, many of them seldom seen and some never before published, this sparkling volume offers vivid portraits of the men and women who created country music, the artists whose lives and songs formed the rich tradition from which so many others have drawn inspiration. Included here are not only such major figures as Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family, Fiddlin' John Carson, Charlie Poole, and Gene Autry, who put country music on America's cultural map, but many fascinating lesser-known figures as well, such as Carson Robison, Otto Gray, Chris Bouchillon, Emry Arthur and dozens more, many of whose stories are told here for the first time. To map some of the winding, untraveled roads that connect today's music to its ancestors, Tony Russell draws upon new research and rare source material, such as contemporary newspaper reports and magazine articles, internet genealogy sites, and his own interviews with the musicians or their families. The result is a lively mix of colorful tales and anecdotes, priceless contemporary accounts of performances, illuminating social and historical context, and well-grounded critical judgment. The illustrations include artist photographs, record labels, song sheets, newspaper clippings, cartoons, and magazine covers, recreating the look and feel of the entire culture of country music. Each essay includes as well a playlist of recommended and currently available recordings for each artist. Finally, the paperback edition now features an extensive index.

Yonder Come the Blues combines three influential and much-quoted books: Savannah Syncopators; Blacks, Whites and Blues and Recording the Blues. Updated with additional essays, this 2001 volume discusses the crucial early development of the blues as a music of Blacks in the United States, explaining some of the most significant factors that shaped this music. Together, these three texts emphasise the significance of the African heritage, the mutuality of much white and black music and the role of recording in consolidating the blues, thus demonstrating the importance of these formative elements in its complex but combined socio-musical history. Redressing some of the misconceptions that persist in writing on African-American music, this book will be essential reading for all enthusiasts of blues, jazz and country music and will be important for students of African-American studies and music, popular music and popular culture.

Yonder Come the Blues combines three influential and much-quoted books: Savannah Syncopators; Blacks, Whites and Blues and Recording the Blues. Updated with additional essays, this 2001 volume discusses the crucial early development of the blues as a music of Blacks in the United States, explaining some of the most significant factors that shaped this music. Together, these three texts emphasise the significance of the African heritage, the mutuality of much white and black music and the role of recording in consolidating the blues, thus demonstrating the importance of these formative elements in its complex but combined socio-musical history. Redressing some of the misconceptions that persist in writing on African-American music, this book will be essential reading for all enthusiasts of blues, jazz and country music and will be important for students of African-American studies and music, popular music and popular culture.

[See isbn 9780754834755 for the new updated edition.] A reference and identification guide to more than 1300 of the most spectacular, best-loved and unusual trees around the globe.

This beautifully illustrated volume, substantially updated for this new large-format edition, is the ultimate reference guide to more than 1300 of the most spectacular, best-loved and unusual trees across the globe, from the huge redwoods of California to the banyan trees of south-east Asia. A comprehensive introduction looks at the origins of trees, how they have evolved over time, and the ways in which they have adapted to suit the variety of terrains in which they thrive. The three directories feature trees from Temperate and Tropical America; Britain and Europe; and Africa, Asia and Australasia. Each entry is accompanied by a hand-painted illustration, and includes identification details such as bark texture; leaf shape and size; flowering time; average height; and overall tree shape. It is an authoritative volume that will form a vital part of every family's natural history library.

This superbly illustrated book is a comprehensive identification reference to over 550 of the most important and best-known trees of Britain and Europe, from Iceland in the north to the Mediterranean in the south. A detailed introduction looks at the origins of trees, their evolution over time and the ways in which they have adapted to suit the variety of terrains in which they thrive. The book then presents an extensive illustrated directory of the most common, popular, prolific or unusual trees, including maps illustrating the region in which each tree can be found. With over 1600 beautiful photographs, artworks and illustrations, this volume is perfect for home or study.

Using evocative text and delightful imagery, Tony Russell brings to life each of the fifty gardens featured, covering their history, plants, architecture and personalities along the way. The diversity of gardens to be found within the Cotswolds and within this book is quite astonishing. Here you will find grand landscapes such as Blenheim Palace and Dyrham Park, influential pioneers at Iford Manor and Rousham, historical gems such as Prior Park and Painswick Rococo Garden, national icons at Westonbirt Arboretum and Hidcote Manor, contemporary masterpieces at Througham Court and Abbey House and an abundance of English gardens in all their beauty, overflowing with roses, herbaceous borders and pastel shades. All the gardens featured allow public access at some time during the year. The Cotswolds' Finest Gardens is undoubtedly set to become a classic in its genre, a book that will appeal to gardeners and non-gardeners alike, those who live within the region as well as those who visit.

In 2015 University Press of Mississippi published Mississippi Fiddle Tunes and Songs from the 1930s by Harry Bolick and Stephen T. Austin to critical acclaim and commercial success. Roughly half of Mississippi’s rich, old-time fiddle tradition was documented in that volume and Harry Bolick has spent the intervening years working on this book, its sequel.Beginning with Tony Russell’s original mid-1970s fieldwork as a reference, and later working with Russell, Bolick located and transcribed all of the Mississippi 78 rpm string band recordings. Some of the recording artists like the Leake County Revelers, Hoyt Ming and His Pep Steppers, and Narmour & Smith had been well known in the state. Others, like the Collier Trio, were obscure. This collecting work was followed by many field trips to Mississippi searching for and locating the children and grandchildren of the musicians. Previously unheard recordings and stories, unseen photographs and discoveries of nearly unknown local fiddlers, such as Jabe Dillon, John Gatwood, Claude Kennedy, and Homer Grice, followed. The results are now available in this second, companion volume, Fiddle Tunes from Mississippi: Commercial and Informal Recordings, 1920–2018.Two hundred and seventy musical examples supplement the biographies and photographs of the thirty-five artists documented here. Music comes from commercial recordings and small pressings of 78 rpm, 45 rpm, and LP records; collectors’ field recordings; and the musicians’ own home tape and disc recordings. Taken together, these two volumes represent a delightfully comprehensive survey of Mississippi’s fiddle tunes.

In 2015 University Press of Mississippi published Mississippi Fiddle Tunes and Songs from the 1930s by Harry Bolick and Stephen T. Austin to critical acclaim and commercial success. Roughly half of Mississippi’s rich, old-time fiddle tradition was documented in that volume and Harry Bolick has spent the intervening years working on this book, its sequel.Beginning with Tony Russell’s original mid-1970s fieldwork as a reference, and later working with Russell, Bolick located and transcribed all of the Mississippi 78 rpm string band recordings. Some of the recording artists like the Leake County Revelers, Hoyt Ming and His Pep Steppers, and Narmour & Smith had been well known in the state. Others, like the Collier Trio, were obscure. This collecting work was followed by many field trips to Mississippi searching for and locating the children and grandchildren of the musicians. Previously unheard recordings and stories, unseen photographs and discoveries of nearly unknown local fiddlers, such as Jabe Dillon, John Gatwood, Claude Kennedy, and Homer Grice, followed. The results are now available in this second, companion volume, Fiddle Tunes from Mississippi: Commercial and Informal Recordings, 1920–2018.Two hundred and seventy musical examples supplement the biographies and photographs of the thirty-five artists documented here. Music comes from commercial recordings and small pressings of 78 rpm, 45 rpm, and LP records; collectors’ field recordings; and the musicians’ own home tape and disc recordings. Taken together, these two volumes represent a delightfully comprehensive survey of Mississippi’s fiddle tunes.

The Poetry of Mr Minevar is a collection of light reading poems laced with humour, all based on a wide range of subjects from Art, Literature to Science.An ideal birthday or Christmas gift!

The Poetry of Mr Minevar, Book 2 is a collection of easy reading poems that would appeal to anyone interested in History, Literature or Science. The poems aim to be both enjoyable and informative and to appeal to a wide range of age groups. Ideal as a great present for any occasion.

[See isbn 9780754834755 for the new updated edition 2020.] A comprehensive guide to over 600 trees from the tropics and temperate worlds, with more than 800 photographs and illustrations. It features watercolour artworks of each tree through the seasons, and useful maps show the natural distribution of each tree.

Travel the world to see the most incredible trees close up.Take a journey through steamy rainforests, scorching deserts and vast plains to find 36 spectacular trees, from the swamp cypress to the giant redwood.See the rainbow eucalyptus with its multicoloured bark and the Japanese cherry tree dripping with blossom. Find out about the monkey puzzle tree and how it was around at the time of the dinosaurs. Discover the kapok tree with its thorn-covered trunk, and spot the wildlife that lives alongside these impressive species.Discover all these facts and more in this wonderful compendium that you will revisit again and again.