Overview

A musician, documentarian, scholar, and one of the founding members of the influential folk revival group the New Lost City Ramblers, Mike Seeger (1933-2009) spent more than fifty years collecting, performing, and commemorating the culture and folk music of white and black southerners, which he called music from the true vine. In this fascinating biography, Bill Malone explores the life and musical contributions of folk artist Seeger, son of musicologists Charles and Ruth Crawford Seeger and brother of folksingers Pete and Peggy Seeger. Malone argues that Seeger, while not as well known as his brother, may be more important to the history of American music through his work in identifying and giving voice to the people from whom the folk revival borrowed its songs. Seeger recorded and produced over forty albums, including the work of artists such as Libba Cotten, Tommy Jarrell, Dock Boggs, and Maybelle Carter. In 1958, with an ambition to recreate the southern string bands of the twenties, he formed the New Lost City Ramblers, helping to inspire the urban folk revival of the sixties. Music from the True Vine presents Seeger as a gatekeeper of American roots music and culture, showing why generations of musicians and fans of traditional music regard him as a mentor and an inspiration.

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9781469602653

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Bill Malone, the dean of country music history, presents a fascinating life-and-times biography of master musician Mike Seeger, one of the folk revival's most influential and under-recognized figures. There is no better person to tell Seeger's story. --Ronald D. Cohen, Emeritus Professor of History, Indiana University Northwest, editor of Alan Lomax, Assistant in Charge: The Library of Congress Letters, 1935-1945 I am grateful to Bill Malone for his sharp perspective on the life and monumental work of Mike Seeger. --T Bone Burnett Yes, my younger half-brother Mike was probably the best musician in the family, but who knows--it's a large family. I'm glad this book is now out. If there's still a human race here in a hundred years, music may be one of the arts which will save us. --Pete Seeger An excellent testament to this amazing musician and documentarian! Bill Malone has done a great job at not only showing Mike Seeger the man but he has also shown how his efforts changed the face of folk music for us all. --Dom Flemons, American songster and member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops

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