What do you think?
Rate this book
Bossmen: Bill Monroe & Muddy Waters
Every field has its "bossman"--the one who sets the style and makes the rules. In bluegrass and early country music the man was Bill Monroe. In the world of urban blues, the man was Muddy Waters.
Using their own words and dozens of remarkable photographs by David Gahr, Carl Fleischhauer and John Byrne Cooke, James Rooney compares and contrasts the careers of these two bossmen. Both grew up in remote rural areas. Muddy Waters heard field hollers, church music, jubilees, shouts, string band music, and the raw sound of the delta blues; for Bill Monroe it was square dance music, hymns, old country ballads and the fiddling of his Uncle Pen Vandiver. Both brought their music to the big Bill to Nashville, Muddy to Chicago. Musicians who passed through their bands went on to form bands of their own, giving rise to the worlds of Bluegrass and Chicago Blues.
But this is more than a book about music; it is a book about black and white America. In microcosm, it is almost a history of this country; and it sets up striking comparisons that cut deep into our heritage and ways. In the words of Pete Seeger, "Anyone in the world wanting to understand American music could well start right here."
Using their own words and dozens of remarkable photographs by David Gahr, Carl Fleischhauer and John Byrne Cooke, James Rooney compares and contrasts the careers of these two bossmen. Both grew up in remote rural areas. Muddy Waters heard field hollers, church music, jubilees, shouts, string band music, and the raw sound of the delta blues; for Bill Monroe it was square dance music, hymns, old country ballads and the fiddling of his Uncle Pen Vandiver. Both brought their music to the big Bill to Nashville, Muddy to Chicago. Musicians who passed through their bands went on to form bands of their own, giving rise to the worlds of Bluegrass and Chicago Blues.
But this is more than a book about music; it is a book about black and white America. In microcosm, it is almost a history of this country; and it sets up striking comparisons that cut deep into our heritage and ways. In the words of Pete Seeger, "Anyone in the world wanting to understand American music could well start right here."
163 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 1972
4 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 5, 2020
Liked the Muddy part better. Basically just a series of anecdotes and quotes. Enjoyable but not deep.
July 11, 2016
Interesting stories noting the similarities between two music greats. In Bluegrass, probably none is more notable than the "Father of Bluegrass", Bill Monroe. From his humble beginnings and all his insecurities to his womanizing and temper he remained faithful (with rare experiment by recording companies) to the music of his youth in the hills.
Likewise Muddy Waters of the warm low tones of "The Blues" stay true to the music of his youth. While he matured along with his sound, it was still the rhythms and the soul of The Blues that carried him to fame. At the book's closing, even though his left hand (fretting hand) has been injured in an auto accident, he's still working to get back to performing; "It's his life."
Likewise Muddy Waters of the warm low tones of "The Blues" stay true to the music of his youth. While he matured along with his sound, it was still the rhythms and the soul of The Blues that carried him to fame. At the book's closing, even though his left hand (fretting hand) has been injured in an auto accident, he's still working to get back to performing; "It's his life."
July 12, 2015
1969 interviews with Monroe & Muddy about their music. More intellectualizing about their music and why/how their groups changed over the years (to that point). Good stuff.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews