Genres Books

I was impressed with the number of songs in this book. It has really helped out in my hobby.

I really love this approach to a song book. Excellent choice of songs, lots of background info and generally speaking good keys for most adult singers.

Some friends and I have a bluegrass gospel group. I am always on the lookout for new material and this book is just what we needed. Many of the songs in the book are familiar but it is good to have the melody in note form so we are sure of the tune. Great job by Wayne Erbsen

Compiled and edited by Southern Appalachian music instructor and historian Wayne Erbsen, "The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook" presents 172 pages of lyrics, music, history, and chords to over one hundred bluegrass gospel classics. Enhanced with the inclusion of more than one hundred vintage photographs, "The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook" presents information on the roots of gospel music, a 'painless' gospel music theory, instructions on choosing the right key, and how to operate a Capo. Of special note is 'Harmony 101', as well as tips on singing lead, tenor, baritone and bass. Featuring such wonderfully well known classics as 'Amazing Grace', 'Are You Washed in the Blood', and 'The Old Rugged Cross', to such lesser known gems as 'I Am a Pilgrim', 'Little Moses', and 'Who Will Sing for Me?', "The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook" is a simply wonderful and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Music History reference collections.

Read this and you'll soon be packing your bags and heading for the Blues Highway. A great book, full of detail but entertaining too. Highly recommended to anyone who loves blues and jazz or just loves great American road trips!

I bought this book after hearing a great review on NPR, thinking I had no real plans to travel the Blues Highway. But when you read it you can almost hear the music and you can practically see those juke joints and crossroads! Buy this book and you'll want to go!

Amazing amount of research, beautiful writing, great pix and full of respect for the music and the area. Every blues lover should have one.

As well as being a comprehensive travel and music guide, this book provides excellent information about the history of the music of the region. The mapping detail is incredible. A must for all jazz and blues fans. Highly recommended.

I got this one in hardback from the public library before I bought this paperback version. I liked the hardback version, but I was disappointed with the paperback version and here's why:

It appears as if the pictures are copies of copies of copies taken out of the the original hardback and copied right on some copier rather than done correctly all over again, and there is at least one VERY GOOD picture M I S S I N G!!!!--one of my favorites--where Bob is reading a magazine or paper up close and he has his hat on. NOT DONE RIGHT IS ALSO A TOP FAVORITE: the one where Bob Dylan is playing chess at a French cafe--REALLY REALLY GOOD ONE, I love that one very much--but it still seems COPY OF COPY OF COPY quality--IT IS DARK AND GRITTY. The quality of the pictures in the original hardback book are FAR superior. and I SEE it. I did a copy of the one at the cafe on a copier before I returned the book to the library and believe me it is BETTER quality than the one in this paperback version!!! AAAAHHHHH!!! Maybe people won't notice, but I do notice it. Unfortunately I had to return the hardback book to the library.

P L E A S E TELL THE PUBLISHER TO R E D O THIS BOOK PROPERLY AND RESPECT Bob Dylan's fans because we want quality pictures. This book deserves to be done again properly. Paperback is okay to save the forests, but the quality of the pictures has something to do with the process and technology that they use. They just dished out a paperback version and copied the pictures from some other copies (as I see it) just to make money with no concern about the QUALITY OF THE PICTURES.

May I also suggest Dylan: Visions, Portraits & Back Pages as a book with FAR FAR FAR FAR SUPERIOR quality pictures and it even costs less!

Please do this PICTURE BOOK all over again, PUBLISHERS!!! These pictures deserve FIRST QUALITY production.

These photos will absolutely break your heart.
They will break your heart absolutely. If you love Dylan and the mythology he created around himself, this book will give you a glimpse behind the curtain. The images of Joan Baez and Dylan are so gorgeous you'll want to duck out of your busy life and cry for five crucial minutes. The image of a back-lit Bob and a shadowy Joan in profile is a just, simple ode to these monoliths. These photos give us what we've intimated about Bob all along.

many of these photos became icons over the years. not only absorbing photos of dylan, but classics of the photographic art. dylan was lucky during this period to be photographed by so many excellent photographers: kramer's work is the best

This seems to be a reprint of a book that first came out in the 60's. I still have my copy but it's a smaller format than this reprint. It is chock full of great photos of Dylan being whimsical and eccentric, posing in a studio setting. Very professional. All seem to be from the "Highway 61 Revisited" period (1965)when Dylan affected a "mod" style of clothes, including polka-dot shirts and Beatle boots. This is a treasure for any Dylan addict. Except for one essay, the book is all photos without text.

Bob Dylan fans will enjoy this book that features over 100 pages of Dylan quotes on subjects ranging from music, the 60's, drugs, love, his idols, songwriting, and more. Everybody knows that Dylan was a wily and occasionally malicious interviewee, and this book reflects that. I laughed out loud several times at his witticisms directed back at the hollow questiosn that were put to him. However, there are some very pointed answers that he serves up here as well, that seemingly give a real insight into his persona, his life, and his views. There are also a lot of high-quality pictures. My only complaint is that the book is a little short-you can easily read it all in one setting, though it's probably a book that you'll go back to time and again to see what Dylan offered up on a particular subject-it would have been nice, for instance, if it had a section where Dylan commented upon particular songs of his, such as was done in the Leonard Cohen book in the "In His Own Words" series. Still, Dylan interviews are always hard to come by, and this is the best copendium you'll find featuring them.

This is really a (the) great book for the base of a Dylan book
collection. Each of the 112 pages comprising this paperback
has at least one photograph, and many pages have two or three!
In my mind the pictures alone are worth a binding of their own. They
include many of his co-workers, and famous peers. After looking
at all of them for the first time, you really get a "feel" for
the environment in which he has been working (living) for the
last 30 - 40 years.

The entire collection of quotes (quotes and pictures are all you get, folks)
are catagorized by a plethora of topics, which enables quick referencing,
so you really should learn ALOT about his PERSONALITY.
I say "personality" because the quotes are in
conversational mode, candid, ranginging from silly quips and
understatements to very sincere and thoughtful comments; the way
I imagine he shares with intimates. This is not a stilted,
unemotional, professional collection of aphorisms, and I feel better informed
as a result.

This book contains a compilation of Dylan's own words, transcribed from interviews, press conferences, radio, and TV shows. Complete with scores of pictures, In His Own Words is a must for any Dylan fan. Dylan dons persona after persona, and the results are quite entertaining.

A must for any Bob Dylan fan, this book contains an ecclectic collection of Dylan's responses to reporters and others.

This excellent road journal by Texas Rock and Roll icon Joe Ely is an enjoyable, refreshing read. It would make a great gift for anyone interested in music. This year Ely was selected for a lifetime acheivement award by Americana. You can go to NPR.com and key word Joe Ely to hear an interview with the author about this book. There are also songs, of course. I absolutely promise you that you will love this book!

Johnny Hughes, author of the Lubbock novel Texas Poker Wisdom.
Texas Poker Wisdom

Joe Ely has written an epic poem of life on the road, full of wisdom and insanity, that careens from Austin to Denmark, youth to age, and the bright noise of backstage to the profound silence of the stars. Ely has seen it all, done it all, and lived to sing the story in this fine feast of a book. Nibble it or gulp it down, but read it and let it feed your soul. "When a man knows not his next destination, any road he takes will get him there on time," Ely says. With this book, the veteran singer/songwriter arrives in fine style.

I am very pleased with "Bonfire Of Roadmaps" by Joe Ely. It is a book to savor over the years ahead and to take on long road trips when I travel. And, if I stay home, then it is a book that can take me on Joe Ely's road trips.
I feel blessed that I was able to sit in the front row at Joe Ely's multimedia presentation of Bonfire Of Roadmaps at the Texas Book Festival held in Austin on November 3rd and 4th, 2007. The audience was packed and enthusiastic. A line formed at the book signing following Joe's readings and songs and video. I was very pleased to have Joe sign my book for me. Later, Joe Ely and Joel Guzman and Joe's band filled the space around the Texas Capitol steps with their magical music and lyrics. Joe was deep into his songs and making every effort to fill each listener with the unique blend of country, roots, wisdom, adventure, personal challenge, disappointments and triumphs of which his music is composed. Much of the time he sang with eyes closed as he drew from deep down the well of his own life experience. I will always remember this concert and I have the book to bring back the feelings of the road, feelings that Joe Ely was kind enough to share with us all.

Joe Ely is a first class musician. Once you start listening to him, you can't stop, and now he gives us a poetic glimpse at life on the road. Bonfire of Roadmaps delves into the hard life, triumphs, and trials of life as a modern day troubadour, and it is a great read. The chapters flow rhythmically along, bursting with memorable characters, stories, lyrics, and a first hand account of what its like to crisscoss the map playing in dingy bars, auditoriums, hotel rooms, and foreign countries. Joe just keeps going. Do yourself a favor: buy this book, listen to the spoken word cd that comes with it, and then start collecting Joe Ely's albums. He's the best. It's as simple as that.

I didn't get this book until my daughter turned 14 months old. I wish I had it earlier then she would be introduced to more than just "Rock-a-Bye, Baby" for her first 14 months. Now, every night, I sing three of four different songs to her from this book. My favorites so far are "All the Pretty Little Horses," : All Through the Night," and "Huna Blentyn (Sleep, My Baby)." The music notation is great for me, a musician, to practice sight singing when trying to learn a new tune. I think this is a great book and I am looking forward to buy more song books from the First Steps series.

I can't read music and was just hoping for a book of simple songs to sing to my baby. This has a lot of lullabies from other countries and that I have never heard before the book. Since I can't read music, they don't do me a lot of good. If you can read music, this would be a beautiful book.

An almost comprehensive collection of lullabies from around most of the world. None from Native America or the Pacific Islands. Both music (the melody line) and lyrics are provided. This is a great book for those who wish to sing to their child Those interested in the lullaby as a music form, perhaps the earliest songs of humanity, will find this collection very useful, but information about the sources is lacking. I read music and can play most of these on Native American flutes, and I am sure the player of any instrument could play them as well. The chording is not indicated, but any musician can figure out what chords to play to accompany a singer or someone playing these simple tunes.

I love this collection of lullabys. It contained all the lullabys that I knew but didn't know the words to. It also contained several that I had never heard before but have since become part of our bedtime routine. It is beautifully notated and easy to read, however you should be able to read music to make use of this book.

"Susan Ballard gets it right and Borrowed Time is a hoot and a half."
--Bob Boze Bell
Executive Editor, True West magazine

One of the best books I've read in ages! Most books I've read on the old west are generally written more about the Earp family and their story with John "Doc" Holliday as a side character. This book really focuses on Doc's life and humanizes him in a way I've never seen before. He was more than just a gunslinger and gambler. He was a man tormented by the fact that he had a deadly disease, and lived his life like everyday might be his last. The story is so well written that you find yourself engulfed in it and the characters. The friendship between Doc and Wyatt Earp is so real and so natural, it's almost like you know them personally. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone! A really fantastic read, I couldn't put it down! I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series!

Being a fan of all things Old West and in

particular "Doc" Holliday and the Earps, I decided

to pick up a copy of "Borrowed Time".



Almost instantly I found myself teleported back in

time to places rich in detail and atmosphere. From

the rolling plains to the bustling cowtowns, I could

clearly envision myself in these settings. The

descriptions were vivid as well as historically

accurate which as a student of the Old West I found

very satisfying. I could almost smell the smoke

filled saloons, or feel the cold wind blowing in

from the plains.



Doc Holliday, usually portrayed as a one

dimensional, almost abrasive character in books and

film was brought to life in Ballard's story as a

living, breathing, complicated man complete with

real emotions and a depth that's severely lacking in

most other characterizations. This not only applies

to Holliday but all of the other characters as well.

I particularly enjoyed the banter between Doc and

Wyatt, conversations that seemed as natural as any

you might have with a best friend. None of their

interactions seemed contrived or stiff.



The story telling, besides being richly

descriptive, also had an easy going style and a nice

flow, balanced nicely between dialog and action.



This was one of the few stories I've read, Western

or otherwise that I felt connected to the characters

and cared about them as well.



It was an engrossing novel I simply couldn't put

down. A winner for sure and honestly I can't wait to

read the second book in this series and anything

else that S.M. Ballard writes.



---J. Place

Winooski, Vermont

Borrowed Time, a novel by S.M. Ballard Reviewed by J.D. Harkleroad

Borrowed Time is S.M. Ballard's first in a trilogy about the life and times of John Henry "Doc" Holliday. Before I read this novel, my first thought was What more can be said about Doc Holliday than has already been said? Boy, was I wrong! Until now (with the notable exception of Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc in the movie Tombstone), Holliday has only appeared as a shadowy appendage peripherally attached to Wyatt Earp's coat-tails. Ballard, however, brings Doc Holliday to life in his own right, fleshing the man out while revealing little-known layers of his life. The reader feels as if he is observing first-hand Holliday's transformation from his genteel, cultured background as Dr. John Henry Holliday to the hot-tempered gunman/alcoholic who came to be known as "Doc" Holliday.

Ballard has thoroughly researched her subject and it shows. The Tombstone Times, Arizona's History and Information Journal, has published numerous non-fiction articles by Ballard, many of them about Doc Holliday. The character so engrossed her that the concept for a Holliday trilogy was born.

Borrowed Time is not another "shoot-em-up-Tony." While action abounds in this novel, two other story-lines run parallel to the main plot. One illuminates Doc's interpersonal relationships: his abiding friendship with Wyatt Earp; his love/hate relationship with "Big Nose Kate" (Fisher) Elder who, by the way, did not have a big nose; his antagonistic relationships with both Bat Masterson and Wyatt's brother Virgil. The other story-line revolves around Holliday's struggle to live as normal a life as possible while dealing with an illness that, in that time period, proved fatal more often than not. The reader, however, gets so caught up in the Doc Holliday character that, even knowing how the trilogy will ultimately end (we all die sometime) is in no way a deterrent.

Borrowed Time is a great read that will appeal to both men and women, and I'm eagerly looking forward to Holliday in Tombstone, the second in Ballard's trilogy due out in 2008.

Great book. If you are a British Invasion fan, this is a "must have" item.

While the majority of the world saw February 9, 1964 as the start of the so-called British Invasion, the reality was that British bands had been around for several years before that date. Only handful of these bands are remembered even by devotees of the genre, whether on this side of the Atlantic or the other. Many were at best "one-hot wonders." Others came and went like a cool afternoon breeze leaving barely a trace of their passage. In some cases, groups disbanded - after being fully succesful, slightly successful or complete failures - to have their memebers gain worldwide acclaim later on.

British Beat: Then, Now And Rare 1960-1969 by Terry Rawling tracks the overwhelming majority of these bands through their lives during the critical first nine years. He describes the band's origins, their activities during the period under study and their demise and/or current status.

While the coverage could be considered superficial, it is far from that for those interested in the music of the British Invasion period who can and should use it as a guidebook for more in depth study.

One final truly touching thing about the book is found on the inside back cover. Author Rawling shows several score photos of members of some of bands as they appeared in recent times. The images are a fitting close to the period and to this very information and entertaining volume.

In Britain during the 1960s there was a massive cultural upheaval, that was spurred by American rhythm and blues imported albums and singles. Prompted by the huge success of the Beatles and the rich youth culture, many of kids took up guitars, basses, drums, organs, harmonicas etc and formed rock and roll combos across the Isles. Most of these bands never saw the inside of a recording studio, however, many more of them were picked up by major record labels due to the success of the Beatles, the Stones and other English acts. Out of the few that had recording contracts even fewer had hits in their homeland, and fewer still had hits stateside. This book covers them all. Through evident exhaustive research the author chrolnicles in encyclodia form the histories and not so histories of many English bands, many of whom most, at least American readers, are not familiar with. Also with a virtual treasure trove of rare pictures, this book can serve as a complete study of a time when creativity was alive and thriving in music, fasion, and thought. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the British Invasion genre of music, as well as to anyone who wants to broaden their knowledge of rock and popular music. This book was a mindblower, and I love it very much, I think you will too!!

it's a very nice book with loads of cool pictures...although, as it is quite natural, it's forgotten a few good ones, like Billy Nichols...

What a read! I first sought this book out after reading elsewhere about Chuck Berry throwing Keith Richards off stage at a peformance where Keith was sitting in. This book was the cited reference for the incident. Intrigues, I sought out and bought this book. I knew very little about Chuck Berry, the man, previous to reading it. While his career was sadly sililar to many rock stars, the rise, the fall, the cheats, the double crosses, and the tragedy of it all, it still was all original enough to hold my interest. Well written and an easy read, if you are interested in Chuck or just good Rock and Roll stories, by all means, buy this book!

Great Book. Very informative. A thorough body of research was completed in order to have this book published. I thought I knew all about Chuck Berry until I read this book. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Chuck's. The book is balanced and pulls no punches. No wonder the biography is unauthorized. It contains information that is both provoctive and endearing.

I've been reading this book for the last few months (it's been my reading material on the train on the weekends hehe) and it's been an enertaining read of the life and hard times of Chuck Berry.
Previous to reading this book, I had only heard Chuck Berry's music and loved it, but did not know much about the man himself.
Bruce Pegg has done a good job of detailing Chuck's life, from the early days in The Ville, his begginings in music, Racism in the USA in the 50's, Chuck's relationship with Chess Records, concerts, all his court appearances (the Mann Act Trial, the Southern Aire Restuarant Video Tape Scandal (which I first heard about on E! News!) plus much more.
There are some great photos in the book which i'm not sure have been seen before.
Pegg also has also rounded up all the important people in Chuck's life and they all give interesting comments.
I haven't read Chuck Berry's offical Autobiography, but upon reading this, i'm sure this gives a much better view into his life.

As a long time fan of Chuck Berry, I have tried to read everything I could find about him, from enclyclopedia's to Rolling Stone Magazine. Over the past 20 years, I have tried to piece together the various differing messages about him, from musical genius to "difficult to work with" entertainer. This book puts it all together in an extremely well written and well documented manner. Pegg ties together all of the pieces with a lot of information and insight otherwise unknown, with interviews of principle persons in Chuck's musical and professional life. He is obviously a fan of Chuck's, but the book is very honest with the facts and never sensational.

If you are a fan of Chuck Berry, please do yourself a favor and get this book. You will not be able to stop reading it! I think it also would be helpful for anyone interested in the social/historical milieu of this time period in relationship to black entertainers in general as well.

Anyone that loves Bush as much as I do will enjoy reading this book. It is really informative to when they were young to how they are now. Not to mention the interesting chapter where Jasmine speaks about her time with Gavin. There might not be that many pics but the words that he speaks makes up more than enough. In one of the lines he says it is like the eye in the calm of the storm. How poetic. Just "Brilliant"

i have this book, along with all of the books about BUSH, and i found this book to be really really cool and entertaining. it has rare facts about the band, and it even has really cute baby pics of everyone.

If you're a diehard Bush fan, you'll have no problem with this bio... but if you're a sometimes Bush fan, you might find it hard to get through... I know it's a bio, but it needs more pictures! Excellent reference for Bush webmasters...

Jennifer Nine is a goddess to Bush fans evrywhere! At last someone gives Bush the credit they deserve. And with such an emotional power! Read it, listen to bush, read it again, listen to more bush, read it....