Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock

by Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Staff, Linda Ronstadt (Foreword), Bob Delevante (Photographer)

In Los Angeles, from the early 1960s through the late 1980s, young musicians and singers formed tight-knit musical communities anchored by nightclubs such as the Ash Grove, the Troubadour, and the Palomino. These musicians injected elements of folk, bluegrass, and country to enliven and reinvigorate the sounds of pop and rock. The music flowing from these scenes exerted a lasting influence that would stretch the boundaries and alter the course of both rock and country music. This book, a companion to a major multi-year exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, traces a musical evolution beginning with California folk and bluegrass groups, which led to the country-rock sounds of the Byrds, CSN&Y, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, the Eagles, and many more. In the 1980s, a new wave of L.A. roots-rock ushered in Dwight Yoakam, Los Lobos, and Lone Justice. Richly illustrated with photographs of key musicians on the scene along with treasured items loaned to the museum for the exhibition, the book takes readers on a dazzling journey to a time and place when the beat and grit of rock met the harmonies and the twang of country to produce sounds that reverberate to this day.

Genres: Music

132 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2022

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was great! I learned so much I didn’t know about the constellation of musicians categorized as country rock. So many great photos of Nudie Suits. And so many essays written by musicians themselves about the birth and evolution of the music.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story here is interesting, from the start of California country rock, courtesy Linda Ronstadt and others. Focuses on a few key people and venues, and concludes with post-punk country. Lots on the Byrds, Eagles, and some other less known bands. The pictures are all large in this large book, but I thought there was a surprising preponderance of Nudie suit pictures. I would guess from the quantity of these pictures that the Country Music Hall of Fame, the source of this book, devotes a lot of space to these suits. This is probably more interesting to a clothing designer. The book made me a bit less interested in visiting the museum, which I'm positive wasn't the intent. A short read with nice pictures, and will give you some new bands or musicians to listen to if you didn't grow up in the California country rock music scene.

[Raymond Steiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

What seemed to be an excellent idea delving into the roots of Los Angeles Country-Rock, the book was rather disappointing. Heavily skewed towards The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, there was only a small mention of mention of Poco and their influence at that time. Able to play folk, country, bluegrass, rock, and pop music, Poco's songwriting, musicianship, harmonies, and live performances paved the way for the Eagles massive success. Poco was very adept at playing rock music with country instruments which is one definition of country-rock.

The book was also difficult to read with sections inserted in other chapters forcing the reader to skip back and forth when reading.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is is the music of my youth, the music I deeply love. I’m not sure if I will make it to Nashville for the exhibit, so this suffices for now. The history, the memories, and the photos related to the roots and growth of country-rock (in a large part spurred on by artists like Linda Ronstadt and Chris Hillman) is all-encompassing and informative. The love for the music shines through. I will treasure this book for many years to come.

[Lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchased as a souvenir from the gift shop, but full of a lot of history regarding the influence folk and country had on the artists who came out of California in the 70’s, and vice versa. Lots of interesting tidbits.

[Jj Burch · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lot less talk of
the eagles, which surprised me
Obsessed with Nudie's.