Discovering Country Music - by Don Cusic (Hardcover)

About the Book

Discovering Country Music chronicles the incredible evolution of country music in America - from the fiddle to the pop charts - and provides an insightful account of the reasons and motives that have determined its various transformations and offshoots over the years. In order to understand what country music is, and why, it is essential to understand how it makes its money -- the basic revenue streams, the major companies involved, and how country artists are booked and marketed. Author Don Cusic helps readers do that, and goes even further, covering not only the business and the technology that have shaped the industry, but also tackling the question of country's relationship to the other major genres of the American recording industry, including pop, blues, and rock music.

Discovering Country Music is broken down into ten sections which include: key musical trends; ancillary business trends such as recording technology, radio, and the recording industry; and prominent artists, including as a small sample Stephen Foster, The Carter Family, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Kenny Chesney. This work should appeal to fans, scholars, educators, libraries and the general reader alike.

Book Synopsis

Discovering Country Music chronicles the incredible evolution of country music in America - from the fiddle to the pop charts - and provides an insightful account of the reasons and motives that have determined its various transformations and offshoots over the years. In order to understand what country music is, and why, it is essential to understand how it makes its money -- the basic revenue streams, the major companies involved, and how country artists are booked and marketed. Author Don Cusic helps readers do that, and goes even further, covering not only the business and the technology that have shaped the industry, but also tackling the question of country's relationship to the other major genres of the American recording industry, including pop, blues, and rock music.

Discovering Country Music is broken down into ten sections which include: key musical trends; ancillary business trends such as recording technology, radio, and the recording industry; and prominent artists, including as a small sample Stephen Foster, The Carter Family, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Kenny Chesney. This work should appeal to fans, scholars, educators, libraries and the general reader alike.

Review Quotes

"...this is a history of country music that shows how business aspects have decisively molded the genre. Cusic, ...presents many valuable facts and insights only an insider would have... Including some footnotes and an extensive bibliography, this accessible title will be useful for students and fans of the music business and the history of country and popular music. Readers will be amazed to realize how much influence money and technology have had on country music... Recommended. All readers, all levels." --Choice

About the Author

Don Cusic is an internationally known scholar and writer, one of the premier historians of country music, and a pioneer in the field of music business education -- developing courses, curriculum, and material for the music business programs at Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). As an author, teacher, historian, songwriter, and executive, Cusic has been actively involved in the music business since 1973. He is also the author of sixteen published books, including the biography Eddy Arnold: I'll Hold You In My Heart and an encyclopedia, Cowboys and the Wild West: An A-Z Guide from the Chisholm Trail to the Silver Screen.