Overview
From its beginnings in the early 1920s, commercial country music—as performed on stage, on records, radio, and in movies—became an increasingly pervasive and lively part of American life, yet some forty years passed before it was given serious attention by writers, historians, scholars, and students of national culture. The first publication founded for promoting the systematic research and recognition of country music was the John Edwards Memorial Foundation (JEMF) Quarterly at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1965. Over time, the JEMF Quarterly brought to light the lives and careers of dozens of pioneer musicians, including Alfred G. Karnes, the Carter Family, Riley Puckett, and Buell Kazee, along with details of early commercial radio operations, the sources of many traditional songs, and the reproduction of historical documents. In addition, the early work of many contributors who later became known as major scholars in the field-Archie Green, Charles Wolfe, Norm Cohen, Simon J. Bonner, and Loyal Jones among others-appeared on the pages of the JEMF Quarterly during its 19 years in publication. Exploring Roots Music reprints twenty-seven representative articles published in the JEMF Quarterly over the years, until it ceased publication in 1985. It also includes many illustrations and an introduction that seeks to place the journal in historical perspective and illuminate its central importance to the study of American culture.
Full Product Details
Author: Nolan Porterfield
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Imprint: Scarecrow Press
Volume: 8
Dimensions:
Width: 14.90cm
, Height: 2.80cm
, Length: 22.30cm
Weight: 0.599kg
ISBN: 9780810848931
ISBN 10: 0810848937
Pages: 360
Publication Date: 17 December 2003
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.
Reviews
It's hard to imagine anyone with a serious interest in the music being disappointed with this publicationnnnn * Dirty Linen * ...includes an informative introduction by Porterfield detailing the history of the JEMF and the QUARTERLY itself. Thanks to Porterfield's superb choice of material, readers are introduced to many of the leading historians of country music, whose writings remain fresh today, years after the publication of their original essays. Exploring Roots Music emerges as a key reference book and an enjoyable look at the early efforts that helped define the field of country music scholarship. -- Charles Wolfe * Newsletter Of The Institute For Studies In American Music * ...a welcome and winsome reminder of the exuberance, curiosity, (mostly) good humor, and barrier-breaking of one of the key publications that helped make the world safe for writing about vernacular music....Porterfield and series editor Ronald Cohen should be commended for bringing out this fine collection of articles... * Journal Of Appalachian Studies, Vol. 12, No. 1 * This book is more enjoyable than any anthology has a right to be. That's because of the energy and eye for detail supplied by the writers, the irascibility, humor or wisdom of many of the personalities described and, of course, Nolan Porterfield's light but deft touch on every page. * Sing Out! * Nolan Porterfield's Exploring Roots Music: Twenty Years of the 'JEMF Quarterly' is a masterfully edited collection of articles spanning the entire run of these publications. Porterfield selects those pieces that resonate the most with today's readers. The value of Porterfield's collection lies in its ability both to preserve the roots of country music research-as the authors of the articles contained therein hoped to preserve the roots of country music-and to highlight the impact of the JEMF in shaping the directions that country music research still follows today. -- Travis Stimeling, Millikin University, Millikin University * Journal of American Folklore * It's hard to imagine anyone with a serious interest in the music being disappointed with this publication * Dirty Linen *
Nolan Porterfield's Exploring Roots Music: Twenty Years of the 'JEMF Quarterly' is a masterfully edited collection of articles spanning the entire run of these publications. Porterfield selects those pieces that resonate the most with today's readers. The value of Porterfield's collection lies in its ability both to preserve the roots of country music research as the authors of the articles contained therein hoped to preserve the roots of country music and to highlight the impact of the JEMF in shaping the directions that country music research still follows today.--Travis Stimeling Journal Of American Folklore
It's hard to imagine anyone with a serious interest in the music being disappointed with this publicationnnnn Dirty Linen ...includes an informative introduction by Porterfield detailing the history of the JEMF and the QUARTERLY itself. Thanks to Porterfield's superb choice of material, readers are introduced to many of the leading historians of country music, whose writings remain fresh today, years after the publication of their original essays. Exploring Roots Music emerges as a key reference book and an enjoyable look at the early efforts that helped define the field of country music scholarship. -- Charles Wolfe Newsletter Of The Institute For Studies In American Music ...a welcome and winsome reminder of the exuberance, curiosity, (mostly) good humor, and barrier-breaking of one of the key publications that helped make the world safe for writing about vernacular music...Porterfield and series editor Ronald Cohen should be commended for bringing out this fine collection of articles... Journal Of Appalachian Studies, Vol. 12, No. 1 This book is more enjoyable than any anthology has a right to be. That's because of the energy and eye for detail supplied by the writers, the irascibility, humor or wisdom of many of the personalities described and, of course, Nolan Porterfield's light but deft touch on every page. Sing Out! Nolan Porterfield's Exploring Roots Music: Twenty Years of the 'JEMF Quarterly' is a masterfully edited collection of articles spanning the entire run of these publications. Porterfield selects those pieces that resonate the most with today's readers. The value of Porterfield's collection lies in its ability both to preserve the roots of country music research-as the authors of the articles contained therein hoped to preserve the roots of country music-and to highlight the impact of the JEMF in shaping the directions that country music research still follows today. -- Travis Stimeling, Millikin University Journal of American Folklore It's hard to imagine anyone with a serious interest in the music being disappointed with this publication Dirty Linen
It's hard to imagine anyone with a serious interest in the music being disappointed with this publicationnnnn Dirty Linen ...includes an informative introduction by Porterfield detailing the history of the JEMF and the QUARTERLY itself. Thanks to Porterfield's superb choice of material, readers are introduced to many of the leading historians of country music, whose writings remain fresh today, years after the publication of their original essays. Exploring Roots Music emerges as a key reference book and an enjoyable look at the early efforts that helped define the field of country music scholarship. -- Charles Wolfe Newsletter Of The Institute For Studies In American Music ...a welcome and winsome reminder of the exuberance, curiosity, (mostly) good humor, and barrier-breaking of one of the key publications that helped make the world safe for writing about vernacular music...Porterfield and series editor Ronald Cohen should be commended for bringing out this fine collection of articles... Journal Of Appalachian Studies, Vol. 12, No. 1 This book is more enjoyable than any anthology has a right to be. That's because of the energy and eye for detail supplied by the writers, the irascibility, humor or wisdom of many of the personalities described and, of course, Nolan Porterfield's light but deft touch on every page. Sing Out! Nolan Porterfield's Exploring Roots Music: Twenty Years of the 'JEMF Quarterly' is a masterfully edited collection of articles spanning the entire run of these publications. Porterfield selects those pieces that resonate the most with today's readers. The value of Porterfield's collection lies in its ability both to preserve the roots of country music research--as the authors of the articles contained therein hoped to preserve the roots of country music--and to highlight the impact of the JEMF in shaping the directions that country music research still follows today. -- Travis Stimeling Journal Of American Folklore It's hard to imagine anyone with a serious interest in the music being disappointed with this publication Dirty Linen
Author Information
Nolan Porterfield has written widely about American music and culture. He has won the Center for American History's Historical Achievement Award (1997) and has been nominated for a Grammy award for Best Album Notes (1987). He is the author of five books including his most recent, Last Cavalier - a biography of pioneer folksong collector John Lomax.
