{"product_id":"9781668018415-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 First Family of Black Country alongside an unflinching and deeply personal self-examination.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author presents “a celebration of all things country music” (Ken Burns) as she reflects on her search for the first family of Black country music.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCountry music had brought Alice 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 (An American Girl)”. 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 delightful, inspirational story of persistence, resistance, and sheer love” (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review) of this 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\u003e is 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":55171234660726,"sku":"9781668018415","price":9.58,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_33026306.jpg?v=1738823124","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781668018415-my-black-country","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}