Jim featured in a new book about Kentucky culture

[johnnYYac]

http://m.richmondregister.com/richmondregist/pm_113112/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=c3iXas4l

Berea author Jason Howard will be reading from his book, "A Few Honest Words: The Kentucky Roots of Popular Music" tonight (Oct. 23), 6 p.m., at the Berea College Loyal Jones Appalachian Center.

The book explores how Kentucky's landscape, culture and traditions have influenced sixteen notable and emerging musicians including Naomi Judd, Joan Osborne, Dwight Yoakam, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Nappy Roots, Matraca Berg, The Watson Twins, Ben Sollee and others.

The book features a foreword by Grammy-winning songwriter Rodney Crowell.
"Kentucky's influence on Americana music is unparalleled," says Howard of writing the book. "I wanted to capture the diversity of all those musical voices and traditions. Bringing them together has long been a dream of mine."

The book also has generated a great deal of advance buzz, including endorsements by Rosanne Cash, Bob Edwards of Sirius XM radio and various authors, according to a release by The University Press of Kentucky.

The book follows up "Something's Rising," his collaboration with bestselling novelist Silas House, which was hailed by the Washington Times, Sojourners, Southern Living and a variety of newspapers and magazines when it was published in 2009, the release stated.

[e_wind]

Being a native kentuckian, i may just have to pick tht up. sounds interesting.

[Waddy Peytona]

I checked this book out of the library today and read the chapter about Jim James. It's very general. I haven't read any other chapters yet, but I'm having a hard time believing there will be a cogent thread binding such a disparate group of musicians and performers. Beyond them all being Kentuckians, that is. Just my opinion.