"Backwater Blues," "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and "Shortenin' Bread" are a sampling of the intriguing songs that Milness (folklife programs, David & Elkins College) has collected, along with stories gleaned over 20 years of interviews, in this showcase of folk music in West Virginia mountain culture. Includes a discography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)
There is something for everyone: local histories and folkways, colorful expressions, rough and rowdy characters. No doubt it will stir the memories of many West Virginians, and hopefully inspire younger Mountaineers to keep the traditions going.
West Virginia Gazette-Mail
An enjoyable book filled with anecdotes, local history, and keen observations about musical lives.
Goes a long way toward enlightening readers about traditional music in central West Virginia.... A fascinating look at the culture that enjoys, plays, preserves, and protects that music.
Essential reading for anyone interested in mountain music.
Milnes has combined his passion for the subject and his abiding respect for the people of West Virginia with carefully researched material and his own field notes and recordings.
Documents a thriving folk culture in West Virginia, one that has changed and evolved over this century. Using numerous interviews he has conducted over the past 20 years, Milnes shows how folk music is an ageless expression of deep feelings and how it reveals the values and identity of a mountain culture.
Milnes counters many of the myths surrounding West Virginian folk culture.
Has much to offer for the fiddler who would like to develop conceptual understanding of the fiddle's place in history and society.
A gem of a book.... Worth a great deal more than fiddler's pay for those interested in traditional mountain music.
The information, particularly that on the dulcimer tradition, is exceedingly important to those of us who would try to understand the meaning of the legacy of old-time music making in the upland South.
An excellent step toward giving West Virginia's musical heritage its rightful place in American musical study.
"An excellent step toward giving West Virginia's musical heritage its rightful place in American musical study." — American Music
"Has much to offer for the fiddler who would like to develop conceptual understanding of the fiddle's place in history and society." — American String Teacher
"Goes a long way toward enlightening readers about traditional music in central West Virginia.... A fascinating look at the culture that enjoys, plays, preserves, and protects that music." — Appalachian Journal
"An enjoyable book filled with anecdotes, local history, and keen observations about musical lives." — Appalachian Quarterly
"Milnes has combined his passion for the subject and his abiding respect for the people of West Virginia with carefully researched material and his own field notes and recordings." — Choice
"Milnes counters many of the myths surrounding West Virginian folk culture." — Ethnomusicology
"Essential reading for anyone interested in mountain music." — Goldenseal
"A gem of a book.... Worth a great deal more than fiddler's pay for those interested in traditional mountain music." — Green Man Review
"The information, particularly that on the dulcimer tradition, is exceedingly important to those of us who would try to understand the meaning of the legacy of old-time music making in the upland South." — Jeff Todd Titon
"Documents a thriving folk culture in West Virginia, one that has changed and evolved over this century. Using numerous interviews he has conducted over the past 20 years, Milnes shows how folk music is an ageless expression of deep feelings and how it reveals the values and identity of a mountain culture." — McCormick (SC) Messenger
"There is something for everyone: local histories and folkways, colorful expressions, rough and rowdy characters. No doubt it will stir the memories of many West Virginians, and hopefully inspire younger Mountaineers to keep the traditions going." — West Virginia Gazette-Mail
