Country Music, U.S.A.: Second Revised Edition

Bill Malone's major work is everything one thinks it could be - an historical treatise on the history of country music from pre-country to fairly modern-day country. Really recent singers in the past eight years or so won't be found here - but that's not why this book is a staple for the country music lover. It's not the kind of reading that invites a start-at-page-one-and-read-to-the-end attempt; rather it's an invitation to be choosy about a time period in country. Malone's views are broad and encompassing and even critical of others' writings about country music. One's favorite is probably in his work although Malone does not write in equal proportion to each performer or time period.

An encyclopedic, rich, and interesting history of country music, this tome is essential for anyone interested not solely in country but also in American popular music. Each chapter serves as a through treatment of a particular genre or period of country music, and the work as a whole reveals a compelling history of American folk and popular culture. There are fascinating stories in this work, but don't expect to blaze through this volume in a day or two. If you're interested in a more compact and oftentimes more focused history, I'd recommend another of Malone's major works: Southern Music/American Music.

This is a book contains loads of great information. It is a great intro to the origins of country music. However, the amount of information is overwhelming and the writing is very boring. Still, its unlikely that any book will give be as comprehensive as this one.

This is the place to start any indepth consideration of country and western music. In fact Dr. Malone's survey and Nick Tosche's COUNTRY THE BIGGEST MUSIC IN AMERICA are my two favorite introductory volumes. Each book is radically different from one another with Dr. Malone's history by far the more authoritative and serious consideration while the Tosche's book operates more as stream of consciousness fan's notes.