Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run by Paul McCartney, edited by Ted Widmer

 

Reviewed by Kristin

How many books have been written about The Beatles, individually or collectively, and/or about their post-Beatle musical collaborations? A quick Google search (scroll past the AI overview, because that is likely to be generalized and somewhat inaccurate…) tells me that it is at least thousands, and possibly tens of thousands.

I believe it, because I have read quite a few. Not a thousand, but I have at least 20 on a bookshelf at home. In fact, a friend just gave me a vintage book containing letters written to each Beatle in their heyday, appropriately titled Dear Beatles and compiled by Bill Adler. One I must count among my favorites is Mark Lewisohn’s first volume in his comprehensive trilogy, The Beatles: All These Years: Tune In, published in 2013. We’re still waiting for volume two. Since it took him over a decade to publish the first one, I’m holding out hope. Tune In is worth the read, all 932 pages.

The book I’ve just finished reading is a much shorter 550 pages; Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run is told through a variety of voices as an oral history. Paul McCartney is prominent, of course, but every member of Wings and various people who knew them also have their words recorded. Linda McCartney, Paul’s late wife and Wings member, is quoted many times. Right after Ted Widmer’s editorial introduction, the “cast in alphabetical order” is listed. From photographers to sound engineers to other musicians to family and more, their thoughts are woven together to create a narrative about a band, well, in the famous words of Paul himself, a band on the run.

Interspersed between these voices are descriptions of projects and timelines placing Wings’ work amongst other major world events. Black and white photos are included throughout with a glossy color photo section in the middle. Appendices include band biographies, Wings’ discography, Wings’ gigography (a term I’d never heard, but loved seeing every public appearance Wings made from 1972-1979), and finally a Paul/Wings specific timeline from 1969-1981.

As you may have guessed, I really enjoyed this book. Another amusing thing that ran through my head while reading was my then two-year-old child singing “Band on the RUG” . . . repeatedly. At least we influence our kids’ musical tastes for a while.

Working Girl Blues: The Life and Music of Hazel Dickens by Hazel Dickens and Bill C. Malone

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

While women have had a long and illustrious history as part of country music, bluegrass was pretty much a male dominated genre—at least until Hazel Dickens came along.  According to Malone’s introduction, she was one of the first women performers in this type of music.  Born in 1935 in Mercer County, West Virginia, Dickens was one of eleven children.  Her father cut and sold timber to mining companies while several of her relatives (brothers, cousins, and such) went to work inside the mines.  As a young woman, she was part of the exodus from the hills to cities farther north—in Dicken’s case, Baltimore—but took with her a love of music. She grew up listening to all sorts of country music as well as Primitive Baptist songs.  While Baltimore was difficult, she also made some important connections that helped her transition from the shy, socially awkward girl into the acclaimed singer, songwriter, and activist.

One of those contacts was Mike Seeger, who was impressed by Dickens’ firm grasp on her music.  She had very definite opinions on how the music should sound and wasn’t afraid to give those opinions.  She also had begun to try her hand at songwriting. The rest is music history.

The book is divided up into two main sections.  The first, written by Malone, covers Dicken’s life up to 2008.  I found it fascinating reading:  Dickens’ life was a hard one, but she never backed down.  The second part contains the lyrics to her songs and Dicken’s commentary on what inspired each one.  There is no sheet music, however.

While I love music, I’m no expert; I can’t say exactly what constitutes specific musical genres. What I can say is that when I listen to Hazel Dickens sing, I hear the “high lonesome sound” so beloved of bluegrass fans; to me, it’s also the sound of the traditional ballad singers—not the folk revival versions, but from the hills.  Her songs are in the 60s protest tradition, but Dickens’ songs are grittier and definitely personal.  She sings from experience and her heart. One of her best known songs is “Black Lung,” which was inspired after her brother’s death from that dread disease.  Listening to it, I was stuck by both the pain and the power.

Dickens deserves a wide audience.  I hope this book may introduce her work to a new generation.

2024 Radio Bristol Book Club

 

Have you caught the Radio Bristol Book Club?  Each month the Birthplace of Country Music and the Bristol Public Library come together to discuss a book which reflects Appalachian culture, music, heritage, or history. The show airs the 4th Thursday of every month at 12 p.m.  You can listen online or over the radio; archives of past programs are available online.  Check it out at Radio Bristol Book Club!

On December 28, at noon you can hear the discussion of Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery.

Want a sneak peek at next year’s line up so you can read ahead?  Here’s the schedule:

January 25, 2024
A Place Called District 12: Appalachian Geography and Music in the Hunger Games by Thomas W. Paradis

February 22, 2024
Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

March 28, 2024
Tales from the Moonshine Trade by Kathy Shearer

April 25, 2024
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

May 23, 2024
Linthead Stomp: The Creation of Country Music in the Piedmont South by Patrick Huber

June 27, 2024
Burning Bright by Ron Rash

July 25, 2024
Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions by Francesca T. Royster

August 22, 2024
Stories I Ain’t Told Nobody Yet by Jo Carson

September 26, 2024
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant

October 24, 2024
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg

November 21, 2024
Even as We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

December 19, 2024
Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn

Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs by Willie Nelson

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

 

Some people think Willie Nelson is a national treasure. I happen to one of them.  I’ve listened to his songs for decades, marveling at the range of subjects and how he manages to find just the right words to express a mood, explain an emotion, or capture a moment in time.  No wonder his songs have been covered by so many artists in so many different musical genres!

In the opening, Willie explains that he believes song just happen.  The words come first, with phrases just popping into his mind, and then the melody will follow.  It’s a mysterious process and it should remain a mystery.  Sometimes if you try to analyze the creative process, take it apart and see how it works, inspiration just vanishes.  Willie wants to keep the mystery because then the listener is “naturally free to interpret them however you like.” (I tried to refer to him as Mr. Nelson but that just seemed wrong, somehow.)

Most of the commentary has to do with the circumstances around the songs, not interpretation, but that’s fine by me.  The songs are arranged according to mood, so there are headings such as “Twisted and Confused,” “I’m Still Here,” and “Love Has a Mind of Its Own.”  There are 160 songs in all—which sounds like a lot, but is just about a tenth of what Willie has written—and most are them are brief.  The longest one is Tougher Than Leather, the song about an outlaw that became the title of an album.  I took turns just reading through the various categories and then checking the index to see what he’d said about a particular song.

Being one of those oversized coffee-table style books, it’s no surprise that illustrations abound.  There are even photos of some of the handwritten lyrics. My favorite photo is one of Willie and his grandmother sitting on a porch swing—Willie impish and grinning, his grandmother patiently smiling as if to say, “What am I going to do with this boy?”

Red-Headed Stranger fans will find a lot to like in these pages.

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Donuts. Aliens. Demons. I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a book which combined these three elements before. If I have, I’m very sure I’ve never read one which did it so well.

Violinist Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the demon Tremon Phillipe forty-nine years ago. The terms she must fulfill are to provide seven other violin prodigies ready to deliver their own souls for success. If Shizuka holds up her end of the bargain, then she will be free once again to play her music. If she does not, well, there will be consequences.

When Shizuka walks into the Starrgate Donut Shop, she has no idea that it has been bought by aliens. Lan Tran brought her family to earth to escape the Endplague spreading through the Galactic Empire. Now they are replicating beautiful, identical (down the last sprinkle), donuts. As a bonus, the giant donut outside is perfect for the stargate the Tran family is supposed to be building for the Empire. When Shizuka orders their large Alaska donut, an unlikely friendship begins between the two women.

Known as the “Queen of Hell”, Miss Satomi is famous in the violin world. Many wish to be her student, and many have failed even to catch her attention. Over the years, Miss Satomi has found six young violinists willing to exchange their own souls for brilliance. Now with just a year left in her contract, she must find her next sacrificial student.

Katrina Nguyen is a teen transgender runaway. She left home with only her absolute essentials—an escape bag including her violin—running to Los Angeles where she hoped to find refuge with a friend. Katrina has been abused and insulted by family, friends, commenters on the internet, and strangers in the night. With her violin, Katrina can take herself to another world, one which might one day be kinder to her. Then she meets Miss Satomi.

Miss Satomi takes Katrina home and provides her a safe place to simply be. She also takes care of repairs for Katrina’s violin, and then begins the process of teaching a formerly untrained, but beautifully intuitive player. But will Miss Satomi offer up Katrina to Tremon Phillipe to save her own soul?

As mentioned above, this novel combines elements (donuts, aliens, demons) that seem oddly disparate. But it also brings together the characters in a beautiful story full of hope, love, and redemption. I did not want the story to end. There were arcs which could have been expanded, giving me hope that perhaps there could be a continuation. Maybe not a sequel, but other supporting characters might have their own stories to tell. If not, then I guess I will just have to imagine their lives.

I would definitely recommend this for fans of John Scalzi, TJ Klune, and Becky Chambers, all of whom actually wrote back cover blurbs for Light From Uncommon Stars. Ryka Aoki also published the novel He Mele A Hilo, and the collections Seasonal Velocities and Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul.

The Music of Coal

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Most of the time we tend to review newer items, but today I wanted to share a hidden gem of our collection. The Music of Coal is a book and two CD set of music from the Coalfields.  The creators of this set culled classic early recordings and added newer material to represent the many faceted aspects of the region. Some of the songs are standards by the artists who made them famous, such as “Dark as a Dungeon” by Merle Travis or “Dream of a Miner’s Child” by Carter Stanley; some are well-known songs by contemporary singers; others are modern songs, some already considered classics.

The book portion features photos, background information, and the lyrics of the songs.  For example, the section on the song “Sixteen Tons,” tells how Merle Travis came to write the song, how Tennessee Ernie Ford came to record it, and why this version is sung by Ned Beatty.  Some of the selections give context for a song, such as explaining how a miner’s skin can carry the blue-black mark after a near miss from falling coal for the song “The Coal Tattoo” or a history of the conflict at Blair Mountain that forms the basis of “Redneck War.”

The songs range from heart wrenching to jaunty, from serious topics as black lung to “My Sweetheart’s a Mule in the Mines.” Many revolve around family, like “Coal Dust Kisses,” a daughter’s loving remembrance of her father coming home from the mines and the hard times families went through when coal went bust, as in Jean Ritchie’s “The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore.” There’s family history as told through “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” and the 1934 tragedy at Derby, Virginia when a mine exploded. 

The singers are a who’s who of the Appalachian region old and new:  The Carter Family, Dale Jett, Dock Boggs, Blue Highway, Jean Ritchie, Ron Short, Darrell Scott, and Ralph Stanley.  It’s an amazing collection, one I have listened to time and again.  I think my personal favorite is “West Virginia Mine Disaster” sung by eleven year old Molly Slemp with a vocal wisdom beyond her years.

Highly recommended!

Hold Me Down by Clea Simon

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

It’s been awhile, but Gal was a star. Not in a girl band, but a genuine rock band and she’s quick to correct anyone who says otherwise. They called her fearless as she ground out her songs onstage, backed by a changing roster of female musicians, and she felt powerful and free. She worked the crowd, controlling them, bending them to her will.

She feels a bit of that tonight as she plays to a crowd once again.  The trouble is that it’s a benefit concert to raise money for one of her former bandmates, Aimee. They were like sisters, tearing up the music scene and indulging in the sometimes questionable benefits of being rock star stars; only Aimee got out.  She married, had a daughter, and got divorced.

And then she died.

Cancer leaves a lot of bills to pay; and there’s Camille, Aimee’s daughter, who is in college. The concert will help.  Also on hand is Walter, Aimee’s ex-husband whose grief is palpable. Walter was one of their roadies, back in the day.  It all brings back so many memories.

The concert has brought not only the surviving band members back together, but also the fans and friends from that long ago era. Gal catches a glimpse of a half-remembered face in that crowd and suddenly freezes, losing her place not only in the song but in time. A moment, and it’s gone.

It isn’t until the next day that Gal hears that the man was murdered—and that Walter has confessed. But why?

The answers lie in the past, and Gal is going to have to search her memories and question old friends in order to discover the truth.

For me, this was as much character study as mystery, but a study fixed in a particular time and place.  It’s the Boston rock scene, where bands can make it to the big time or crash and burn in obscurity.  It’s also a very masculine scene, where the women have to have swagger and a thick skin in order to try to be taken seriously.  Gal and her bandmates are young and hungry, and not just for success.  There are drugs aplenty, groupies, and any number of people only too willing to use, abuse, and discard young musicians.  Gal soon finds that some of her memories may not be quite as she recalled.

Simon does a wonderful job of evoking a time and place.  Readers who know the places described will be enthralled, but even those of us who have never been to Boston will feel as if we have. You don’t even have to be a rock fan.  Simon takes you to the back alleys, the stages, and hotel rooms where musicians hang out. There may not be glamor, but there is energy and power, not to mention sweat and vomit. It’s easy to see how musicians get caught up in it all, sometimes to their detriment.  I enjoyed the atmosphere as much as I did the puzzle. (Well, maybe not the vomit. But you know what I mean.) And by the way, the solution did not disappoint.

This was a darker book than most of Simon’s, but I didn’t find that to be a deterrent.  Gal is an especially well done character, someone we can relate to or else she reminds us of someone we know, but best of all, she grows during the book.  She faces her truths and comes out stronger.

I think this is Simon’s best book to date. 

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