{"product_id":"9781668018408-my-black-country","title":"My Black Country","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future\u003cbr\u003eFrom Vanderbilt Professor, award-winning songwriter, novelist, and author Alice Randall comes a lyrical account of the unrecognized group of Black musicians known as First Family of Black Country alongside an unflinching and deeply personal self-examination.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author with a “lively, engaging, and often wise” (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e) voice, offers a lyrical, introspective, and unforgettable account of her past and her search for the first family of Black country music.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Country music had brought Randall and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in American music history: she is the first Black woman to cowrite a number one country hit, Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s and OOO’s”. Randall found inspiration and comfort in the sounds and history of the first family of Black country music: DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Charley Pride, and Herb Jeffries who, together, made up a community of Black Americans rising through hard times to create simple beauty, true joy, and sometimes profound eccentricity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e What emerges in \u003ci\u003eMy Black Country\u003c\/i\u003e is a celebration of the most American of music genres and the radical joy in realizing the power of Black influence on American culture. As country music goes through a fresh renaissance today, with a new wave of Black artists enjoying success, \u003ci\u003eMy Black Country \u003c\/i\u003eis the perfect gift for longtime country fans and a vibrant introduction to a new generation of listeners who previously were not invited to give the genre a chance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41513891528801,"sku":"9781668018408","price":22.64,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_31782213.jpg?v=1743747794","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781668018408-my-black-country","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}