Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy: Gennett Records and the Rise of America's Musical Grassroots - Softcover

Kennedy, Rick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 025300747X ISBN 13: 9780253007476

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2013

Synopsis

In a piano factory tucked away in Richmond, Indiana, Gennett Records produced thousands of records featuring obscure musicians from hotel orchestras and backwoods fiddlers to the future icons of jazz, blues, country music, and rock 'n' roll. From 1916 to 1934, the company debuted such future stars as Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and Hoagy Carmichael, while also capturing classic performances by Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Uncle Dave Macon, and Gene Autry. While Gennett Records was overshadowed by competitors such as Victor and Columbia, few record companies documented the birth of America's grassroots music as thoroughly as this small-town label. In this newly revised and expanded edition of Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy, Rick Kennedy shares anecdotes from musicians, employees, and family members to trace the colorful history of one of America's most innovative record companies.

About this title

Book Description:

A Jazz History Online Best Book of 2013

About the Author:

Rick Kennedy is a veteran communications manager with General Electric Company and a former journalist. A freelance music writer for more than 30 years, he is author (with Randy McNutt) of Little Labels–Big Sound: Small Record Companies and the Rise of American Music (IUP, 2001).

About this edition

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 025300747X
• ISBN 13: 9780253007476
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304