In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music

A strong, conventional ramble through the history of country music. I've always been more into classic rock, but in the last couple of years I've stumbled across a number of great young country musicians (most notably Colter Wall, Charley Crockett, Tyler Childers, Nick Shoulders and Sierra Ferrell) and felt like I didn't know enough about the well they were drawing from. With the notable exception of Johnny Cash, and the occasional Hank Williams song or other country standard covered by a rock band, I didn't know much about country music.

Nicholas Dawidoff's 1997 book In the Country of Country was a useful remedy to this. While of course there is no substitute to listening to the music directly, this book did provide a useful orientation show more to the genre, particularly the early pioneers like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. I learned about the integration of yodelling into country music, the importance of the Grand Ole Opry, and the differences between bluegrass and country (the former is defined by its restrictions (pg. 86); it's what Bill Monroe called "hillbilly jazz" (pg. 109)). Dawidoff wrote when many of these country giants were still alive, and it's a mark very much in favour of his book that he's able to pick the brains of Cash, Monroe, Charlie Louvin and Rose Maddox (among others) directly.

The book does have its disadvantages. Starting out, as the subtitle puts it, as 'a journey to the roots of American music', In the Country of Country soon develops tunnel vision. Initially, as we learn about Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family and Bill Monroe, we get a real sense of how this genre was built, but it all becomes a bit isolated. It's like blues and folk music don't exist here, though in reality the cross-pollination was considerable, and Dawidoff's brief interaction with Bob Dylan reminds us that there's plenty of hinterland here which he hasn't even touched. The second half of the book loses its dynamism, focusing on more contemporary artists in a way that becomes a bit more paint-by-numbers and magazine-profile-like. These later chapters are often colourless, end abruptly, and don't really contribute to our 'journey to the roots of American music'.

That said, In the Country of Country covers many of the relevant bases, and if it can't be said to be an essential book, or even an essential introduction, it's certainly a solid approach. While it's always better to hear a song than read a description of it, this book does communicate some of the real flavour of the genre. Dawidoff addresses, though rarely directly, the central tension in the country-loving community: the battle over authenticity and purity; the earthy, rough music of various regions versus the safe, homogenised 'hat acts' of Nashville. He notes how the music began as "a means of solidarity for people who felt marginalized by American society" but which has since become commodified (pg. 19). We come to realise that the obsession with 'purity' is less to do with gatekeeping and more about a desire to preserve the music's emotional maturity against the assault of tight jeans and songs about pick-up trucks. In the course of his rich but middle-of-the-road journey, Dawidoff reminds us of country's appeal: "This is not music for swinging teens. It's raw stuff for grown-up people who aren't getting any younger and know something about disappointment" (pg. 212). show less

Great set of essays about country music and the people who make it. Kind of quirky, in that some people, like Steve Earle, are mentioned but not profiled. But an excellent tour of past and present giants in the genre.

Please remember two stars on Goodreads is an "ok" rating. That's what I felt (or rather didn't feel) about this book. It is ok....