Description

Book Synopsis
An illuminating history of the banjo, revealing its origins at the crossroads of slavery, religion and music

Trade Review
"For the very first time, a reader’s version of a few of the earliest written observations of the instrument are on full display in the thoughtful and masterful writing of this book. This book is not only made for the banjo enthusiast but it opens a new window into 17th, 18th and 19th century world history on the ground level by those who lived it and observed the strange new cultural connections brought by a brutal plantation system.[...] Kristina Gaddy’s observations lead the reader back into the 21st century to contend and reanalyze the crooked road of America’s musical past." -- Dom Flemons, the American songster and Grammy Award–winning musician
"Beguiling… [Gaddy] weaves her story together from sources including paintings, diaries and letters, and tells it chronologically. In a less daring writer’s hands, this might have become a slog, but Ms. Gaddy successfully blends archival skills with imagination." -- The Economist

Well of Souls

    Product form

    A Hardback by Kristina R. Gaddy, Rhiannon Giddens

    £22.79

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    RRP £23.99 – you save £1.20 (5%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Wed 28 Oct 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher WW Norton & Co
      Published 4 November 2022
      ISBN-13 9780393866803
      978-0393866803
      ISBN-10 0393866807
      Also in:
      Entertainment Music reviews and criticism Traditional and folk music History Social and cultural history

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      An illuminating history of the banjo, revealing its origins at the crossroads of slavery, religion and music

      Trade Review
      "For the very first time, a reader’s version of a few of the earliest written observations of the instrument are on full display in the thoughtful and masterful writing of this book. This book is not only made for the banjo enthusiast but it opens a new window into 17th, 18th and 19th century world history on the ground level by those who lived it and observed the strange new cultural connections brought by a brutal plantation system.[...] Kristina Gaddy’s observations lead the reader back into the 21st century to contend and reanalyze the crooked road of America’s musical past." -- Dom Flemons, the American songster and Grammy Award–winning musician
      "Beguiling… [Gaddy] weaves her story together from sources including paintings, diaries and letters, and tells it chronologically. In a less daring writer’s hands, this might have become a slog, but Ms. Gaddy successfully blends archival skills with imagination." -- The Economist

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