Overview
Legions of bluegrass fans know the name Otto Wood (1894-1930) from a ballad made popular by Doc Watson, telling the story of Wood's crimes and his eventual end at the hands of the local sheriff. However, few know the history of this Appalachian figure beyond the larger-than-life version heard in song. Trevor McKenzie reconstructs Wood's life, tracing how a Wilkes County juvenile delinquent became a celebrated folk hero. Throughout his short life, he was jailed for numerous offenses, stole countless automobiles, lost his left hand, and escaped state prison at least four times after a 1923 murder conviction. An early master of controlling his own narrative in the media, Wood appealed to the North Carolina public as a misunderstood, clever antihero. In 1930, after a final jailbreak, police killed Wood in a shootout. The ballad bearing his name first appeared less than a year later. Using reports of Wood's exploits from contemporary newspapers, his self-published autobiography, prison records, and other primary sources, McKenzie uses this colorful story to offer a new way to understand North Carolina and the South during this era of American history.
Full Product Details
Author: Trevor McKenzie ,
David Holt
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Dimensions:
Width: 19.50cm
, Height: 1.00cm
, Length: 23.10cm
Weight: 0.333kg
ISBN: 9781469664712
ISBN 10: 1469664712
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 30 September 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
A deeply researched account that strives to establish the true story behind a crime spree that has been immortalized in a much-played and much-recorded bluegrass ballad . . . engaging [and] thoughtful.""--Southern Review of Books McKenzie brings a unique, musician's perspective to the book . . . [and] deftly threads the needle between fact and fancy, telling the story of the man behind the song.""--New York Journal of Books
"A deeply researched account that strives to establish the true story behind a crime spree that has been immortalized in a much-played and much-recorded bluegrass ballad . . . engaging [and] thoughtful.""--Southern Review of Books McKenzie brings a unique, musician's perspective to the book . . . [and] deftly threads the needle between fact and fancy, telling the story of the man behind the song.""--New York Journal of Books"
McKenzie brings a unique, musician's perspective to the book . . . [and] deftly threads the needle between fact and fancy, telling the story of the man behind the song.--New York Journal of Books
Author Information
Trevor McKenzie is an archivist and musician living in Boone, North Carolina, where he works with materials in the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University. David Holt is a four-time Grammy Award-winning bluegrass musician, storyteller, and historian. He lives in the mountains of North Carolina. Trevor McKenzie is an archivist and musician living in Boone, North Carolina, where he works with materials in the W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection at Appalachian State University.
