Description
Book SynopsisShares anecdotes from musicians, employees, and family members to trace the colourful history of one of America's most innovative record companies
Trade ReviewKennedy eloquently and informatively connects all these pieces together to form a clear, informative, and delightfully entertaining read. He breathes new life into the legacy of Gennett Records and fully enmeshes the readers into a world when then unknown musicians rambled to a dusty Midwestern piano factory to record their music. Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy will surely satisfy an audience of jazz buffs, historians, or anyone seeking a revealing account of a greenhorn music industry.
* PopMatters *
Kennedy's book comes highly recommended. His writing style is entertaining and informative. By describing the personal characteristics of Gennett's principal owners, the reader can easily keep all of the various characters straight. Further, Kennedy's wide-ranging appreciation for American music makes the reader want to hear these recordings. The Gennetts may not have fully appreciated the music they recorded, but Rick Kennedy makes up for that many times over.
* Jazz History Online *
Table of ContentsForeword by Ted Gioia
Gennett Records Timeline
Introduction
1. A Music Dynasty in Victorian Indiana
2. A New Wind Is Blowing through Chicago
3. Jazz Hysteria in the Hoosier State
4. Old-Time Music in the New Electronic Era
5. When Gennett Records Gets the Blues
6. Yet the Music Lives On
Suggested Listening: Fifty Classics by Gennett Records
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Index of Songs
