Sing Me Back Home: Southern Roots and Country Music

American Popular Music Series

By: Bill C. Malone

Narrated by: Peter Lerman

Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

For more than 50 years, Bill C. Malone has researched and written about the history of country music. Today, he is celebrated as the foremost authority on this distinctly American genre. This new collection brings together his significant article-length work from a variety of sources, including essays, book chapters, and record liner notes. Sing Me Back Home distills a lifetime of thinking about country and Southern roots music.

Malone offers the heartfelt story of his own working-class upbringing in rural East Texas, recounting how in 1939, his family’s first radio, a battery-powered Philco, introduced him to hillbilly music and how years later, he went on to become a scholar in the field before the field formally existed. Drawing on 100 years of Southern roots music history, Malone assesses the contributions of artists such as William S. Hays, Albert Brumley, Joe Thompson, Jimmie Rodgers, Johnny Gimble, and Elvis Presley. He also explores the intricate relationships between black and white music styles, gospel and secular traditions, and pop, folk, and country music.

Author of many books, Malone is best known for his pioneering volume County Music, U.S.A., published in 1968. It ranks as the first comprehensive history of American country music and remains a standard reference. This compilation of Malone’s shorter - and more personal - essays is the perfect complement to his earlier writing and a compelling introduction to the life’s work of America’s most respected country music historian.

©2017 University of Oklahoma Press (P)2018 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

“Adds greatly to our understanding of America's cultural history and chronicles the life of one of its greatest scholars.” (Charles L. Hughes, author of Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South)

“Will appeal to academic and general audiences alike.” (Don McLeese, author of Dwight Yoakam) 

Comprehensive and entertaining...

"Sing me back home" is a great work on both the southern roots (it describes rural country life and the situation of slaves) and the history of (American) country music. The book is a compilation of different materials presented in one book. I like the voice of the narrator. First I thought he sounds like He is giving a lecture sometimes, but now I think this is quite appropriate for this kind of work. The book also provides an opportunity to get to know bands / musicians you might not have heard of yet (I personally had never heard of the blue sky boys for instance). That is a nice extra I think. Nö doubt the author must have done extensive research for many years. A great book and highly recommended. This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Country!

Everything you ever wanted to know about Country Music and then some. Fascinating information about Country in all its various forms. Blue Grass, Gospel, and discusses the differences between traditional more contemporary styles. Truly an encyclopedia on the topic. Peter Lerman isn't the good old boy you might think they would use for this book, which for me was a relief. His business like approach is just serious enough to impart a sense of importance to the information, yet he clearly enjoys the topic and his role in educating the listener. Good pick.

Provided Free for an Honest Review

I did enjoy this reading since I am interested in music and its roots. I felt the audiobook could have been enhaunced by providing a few examples and some music background. Reading a thesis can sometimes get a bit boring.

Not For Me

I only lasted about 90 minutes, could not get past the narration, way too bland and monotone. So an honest remove of the material in the book is not possible. I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Blast