[78-L] books on western swing

[Cary Ginell]

I don't think I have it in me to attack an all-encompassing book with this kind of scope, even though it is truly needed, especially since only university presses would be interested in publishing it and we all know how much money they pay... I do intend, some day, to complete a book I started some years ago consisting of oral histories of the pioneering western swing musicians I interviewed in the '70s and '80s. Some day...

The books mentioned - by McLean, Boyd, and Townsend - are all tremendously flawed, but we're better off having them than not having them. Kevin Coffey's CD liner essays have all been chock full of valuable details about the restless movements of w.s. musicians from one group to another, but I agree that a broader-based contextual survey and analysis of how western swing got to where it was is very much needed. 

Townsend's book was my first foray into the music's history, but he relied so much on Ruth Sheldon's "Hubbin' It," a ridiculously inaccurate and romanticized "fan book" on Wills from 1938, that it rendered his whole study of Wills suspect. Actually, the most lasting legacy that book left for me was Bob Pinson's discography, which Townsend had little or nothing to do with.

But I agree with Bill. I've moved on to many other kinds of music since my early-on obsession with western swing, but it is still nice to go back to it.

Cary Ginell



> Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2011 20:53:10 -0500
> From: bmcclung78 at gmail.com
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Subject: Re: [78-L] books on western swing
> 
> Thanks.  I didn't list "San Antonio Rose" because Cary mentioned it and I
> didn't think I needed to.  It is a valuable book and Cary is very
> gracious in the ways he refers to Mr. Townsend in his Milton Brown book.
> But I still think the book on the history of western swing is still to be
> written.  It is such a rich music.  It is the comfort music I always seem to
> fall back on when I get tired of others.
> 
> On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 3:43 PM, Peter Schow <p.schow at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 02:59:12PM -0500, Bill McClung wrote:
> > > Solid information about western swing can also be found in cd booklets
> > > particularly when done by Kevin Coffey and Phillip Tricker.  Some
> > examples
> > > are from Wanderers Swing; Texas Dance Hall Music (Krazy Kat 11), Diggin':
> > > Hot, Small Label Texas Swing 1946-1955 (KK 24), Seven Come Eleven: Texas
> > > Swing on Radio & TV, 1946-1964 (KK31), and Leon McAuliffe: Tulsa Straight
> > > Ahead (Bear Family.)
> > >
> > > Here's some other books on western swing but none are all that good.
> >  "Jazz
> > > of the Southwest" by Jean Boyd (Univ Texas Press) is oral history without
> > > very much verification through second sources or consulting the
> > historical
> > > record.   "Lone Star Swing" by Duncan McLean (Norton) is more travel log
> > > than history and is not very successful in telling the story he tried to
> > > tell.
> >
> > You'd likely have to add Charles Townsend's Bob Wills bio "San Antonio
> > Rose"
> > to this list. (Townsend will also be appearing on the WKCR WS festival, on
> > Sunday).  I know that this book is in partial contention with Cary's
> > Milton Brown bio, but it definitely belongs on any WS reading list.
> >
> > Agree with you about "Lone Star Swing".  It starts with an earnest premise
> > but he clearly tries too hard to be funny and snide, and it backfires.
> >
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