Bill C. Malone
Bill C. Malone (born August 25, 1934) is an American musician, author and historian specializing in country music and other forms of traditional American music, he is a noted scholar. He is the author of the 1968 book Country Music, U.S.A., the first definitive academic history of country music.[1] Malone is Professor Emeritus of History at Tulane University and now resides in Madison, Wisconsin.[2]
Biography
Malone was born on a cotton-growing tenant farm 20 miles west of Tyler, Texas in 1934 and grew up with music as "a constant companion".[3] After studying at community college, he enrolled in the University of Texas in 1956 and became a well-known singer in the Austin area, due in part to his encyclopedic repertoire of "hillbilly" songs he learned growing up.[3] He performed at Threadgill's beer joint in Austin and completed his Master's degree.[3] He was pleased when his faculty advisor suggested he write his doctoral dissertation on something he loved: "hillbilly", i.e., country, music.[3] His 1965 dissertation was published in 1968 as Country Music, U.S.A.[3]
Malone hosts a weekly radio show, "Back to the Country", on WORT–FM community radio in Madison, and performs country music with his wife, Bobbie Malone, playing mandolin and guitar.[4]
Honours
Malone was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984 to assist his research in U.S. history.[5] In 2008, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for American Music.[6]
Selected publications
- An early history of Austin, Texas, 1839-1861 (1958) University of Texas, pp. 272, googlebooks
- Country Music, U.S.A. (1968; revised edition 1984; 2nd revised, annotated edition 2002; 3rd revised, annotated edition 2010 with Jocelyn R. Neal) University of Texas Press, pp. 664, ISBN 978-0292723290
- Southern Music/American Music (co-author with David Stricklin) (1979; 2nd, illustrated, revised edition 2003) University Press of Kentucky, pp. 236, ISBN 0-8131-9055-X
- Singing Cowboys and Musical Mountaineers: Southern Culture and the Roots of Country Music (1993) University of Georgia Press, pp. 168, ISBN 0-8203-2551-1
- Don't Get Above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class (2002) University of Illinois Press, pp. 392, ISBN 0-252-02678-0
- Working Girl Blues: The Life and Music of Hazel Dickens (co-author with Hazel Dickens) (2008) University of Illinois Press, pp. 102, ISBN 0-252-07549-8
- Music from the True Vine: Mike Seeger's Life and Musical Journey (2011) UNC Press Books, pp. 240, ISBN 0-8078-3510-2
References
- ↑ Book review of Country Music, U.S.A. at This is Texas Music website, January 3, 2005. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
- ↑ Moe, Doug. "For Malone, A Series of Noteworthy Events", at madison.com. April 27, 2008. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Malone, Bill C. "Country Music Scholar", video interview with Malone Southern Spaces, January 20, 2006. Accessed 2011-09-18.
- ↑ Bill C. Malone's facebook page Accessed 2011-09-18.
- ↑ John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Fellowship Awards 1984 searchable list. Accessed 2011-09-18.
- ↑ "About the author" at googlebooks, CM,USA. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
External links
- "Country Music Scholar", October 2005 video interview with Malone in Southern Spaces, published by Emory University Libraries, January 20, 2006. Accessed 2011-09-18.