Synopsis
A forgotten singer from the early days of jazz is at the center of this riveting book—a narrative that is part mystery, part biography, part meditation on the meaning and power of music.
Library Journal
In this truly remarkable book, noted critic and Vanity Fair contributor Tosches (Hellfire) takes on obscure minstrel/country-jazz singer Emmett Miller. Exploring the whole of American popular performance during the first half of the 20th century, Tosches leaps headlong into the dizzying cross-pollinations of the blackface minstrel show, country, blues, jazz, folk, and Tin Pan Alley. The book is as much about the author's search for Miller's place in American popular music as it is about the man who influenced early country great Jimmie Rodgers and who counted Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey as members of his band in the mid-1920s. Grounding his tale in solid scholarship and critical analysis, Tosches is never dry; his voice combines Greil Marcus, Hunter S. Thompson, and the liner notes of Bob Dylan albums. His only misstep is his tendency to overcorrect cited authors with sic. As engrossing as a great mystery novel, this is essential for libraries with a focus on American popular culture and highly recommended for all university and larger public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/01.] James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.