Gentlemen: whenever you see a great big overgrown buck sitting at the mouth of some holler, or at the forks of some road, with a big slouch hat on, a blue celluloid collar, a celluloid, artificial red rose in his coat lapel, a banjo strung across his breast, and a-pickin' of Sourwood Mountain, fine that man, gentlemen, fine him! For if he hasn't already done something, he's a-going to - Josiah Combs, quoted in Old-Time Mountain Banjo
Thanks for the tip, Chris. Two local libraries have it on order, so I placed holds. It will probably be a month or so before I get it, though. If there are libraries in your area that take purchase requests, I'd go that route.
Almost finished--any book that turns you on to "Skokiaan" by The African Dance Band of the Cold Storage Commission of Southern Rhodesia (later aka The Bulawayo Sweet Rhythm Band) must have some redeeming qualities:
I've just finished this book and I must say I loved it. Petrusich is a very lively writer--and she writes about the music she loves with energy and originality. I recommend it highly, though I'm not qualified to say anything intelligent about the details of the content. Give it a try!
Didn't the author/woman onstage do some volunteer work with/for Mr. McCormick? Must have been amongst the greatest collectors she encountered. Did she mention any insight gained from her time with him onstage or in the book?
« Last Edit: January 22, 2016, 08:50:06 AM by Shovel »