Rednecks And Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music

Description

On the eve of America's invasion of Iraq, the Dixie Chicks went from being the leading lights of country music to heartland pariahs almost overnight, thanks to one Bush-bashing aside on a London stage. A year later, the list of entertainers stumping for Dubya consisted almost exclusively of country stars like Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, and Travis Tritt. How did the erstwhile music of the rural working class come to be the music of choice of the Republican Party? In Rednecks and Bluenecks, Entertainment Weekly senior writer Chris Willman looks at how country's increasing popularity and conservative drift parallel the transformation of the Democratic South into the heart of the Republican mainstream. Meanwhile, for all those Steve Earle souls trapped in Toby Keith counties, alt-country has emerged as a refuge for the loyal opposition. Written with intelligence and wit, Rednecks and Bluenecks makes clear that country and its offshoots represent the one strain of American music where a passionate political debate is taking place.

Chris Willman is a senior writer for Entertainment Weekly. His writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and Newsday, and he has made appearances on VH1, CNN, and MTV.

"One of the year's 10 best. . . . The best music book I read this year." Fresh Air "Fascinating and funny." -San Francisco Chronicle "Four stars. . . . Sharp yet dishy." -Mother Jones "Plucky." -The American Spectator "The illuminating writing is as clear and joy-inducing as Allegheny Mountains moonshine." -The Los Angeles Times "Fast, fun and skillfully reported, Rednecks and Bluenecks jumps into the breach of the political battle that fuels America's musical heartland. . . . Leave it to Willman to bring all the dissonant voices together into one essential account of that red (and blue) hot spot where love of country and love of music meet." -Cameron Crowe