In this loving tribute to country music and its artists, Smith traces the history of this uniquely American tradition through several generations of the Bailey family of Grassy Springs, Virginia. Moses Bailey’s preacher father thinks fiddle music is the voice of the Devil laughing; Moses’ wife, Kate Malone comes from a fiddle playing family. Starting in 1833 the Baileys are torn between their love of God and their love of music. Plain Baptist hymns and haunting Appalachian ballads shape the lives of the early generations. Grandsons R.C. and Durwood marry Lucie and Tampa, who, as the Grassy Branch Girls, take part in the early "hillbilly recordings" of the 1920s. Warm, amusing, moving, this novel represents Smith at her best. Highly recommended. This is another of Lee Smith's novels that progresses chronologically through generations, each successive generation represented through a group of narrators. Her ability to portray a character through that character's voice is amazing. ( )