This book focuses on 50 of the most important entertainers in the history of country music, from its beginnings in the folk music of early America through the 1970s. Divided into five distinct categories, it discusses the pioneers who brought mountain music to mass audiences; cowboys and radio stars who spread country music countrywide; honky-tonk and bluegrass musicians who differentiated country music during the 1940s; the major contributions that female artists made to the genre; and the modern country sound which dominated the genre from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. Each entry includes a brief biography of the chosen artist with special emphasis on experiences which influenced their musical careers. Covered musicians include Fiddlin' John Carson, Riley Puckett, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Bob Wills, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Sr., Dale Evans, June Carter Cash, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Roy Clark, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.

Cooking With Country Music Starsis a unique culinary collaboration by 37 of country music's biggest names. Incooperation with the Country Music Foundation, such stars as Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Hank Williams, Jr., Tanya Tucker, The Judds, Conway Twitty, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Tammy Wynette share their favoriterecipes with their legions of fans.Cooking With Country Music Stars tells the story of the stars, geared not only to each performer's musical climb to success, but especially togastronomical tendencies and observations. What does Charlie Daniels like toeat when he goes off a diet? Whose favorite meal was cooked in diesel fuel whenthe chef ran out of cooking oil? Get the answers and more straight from thestars.The diversity of recipes will amaze you and amuse you-everything fromSherried Fruit, Chicken Elegant, and Broiled Rainbow Trout to Southern Pastry, Pigs and Taters, Turnip Greens, and Hog Jowls. More than 200 recipes have beenkitchen-tested, and each is accompanied by informative cooking and servingsuggestions.Cooking With Country Music Stars includes full-colorphotographs of all the stars. Bill Ivey, Director of the Country MusicFoundation, and Anne Byrn, Nashville native and food editor of the AtlantaJournal-Constitution add their thoughts on why "kissing don't last, but country cooking do."So come on down to the kitchen and cook with your favorites!

A collection of essays, written in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry, that provides portraits of the personal lives and careers of nineteen country music stars, with a chapter devoted to early pioneers such as Fiddlin' John Carson, and Carl T. Sprague.

This book highlights 50 of the most important entertainers in contemporary country music, providing a brief biography of each artist with special emphasis on experiences that influenced their musical careers. The artists are divided into five categories: "The New Traditionalists" (artists such as George Strait, Reba McEntire, and Clint Black who established the mainstream country sound in the 1980s); "Alternative Country" (artists such as Steve Earle and Bela Fleck who made country music on their own terms); "Groups" (ensemble acts such as Alabama, the Dixie Chicks, and Rascal Flatts that have carried on the traditions of the Carter Family and other prominent groups of the 1920s and 1930s); "Country-Pop" (artists such as Garth Brooks and Shania Twain who firmly established the "countrypolitan" sound as the cash cow of Nashville); and "New Country" (the next generation of country-pop artists, with particular attention paid to international megastars such as Keith Urban, and teen sensations, including LeAnn Rimes and Taylor Swift).

The best and most luxurious history of country music ever published, this 70th-anniversary tribute to the Grand Ole Opry has been selected by this beloved institution as its chief souvenir. The complete history of the Opry is given, from the early days of Roy Acuff and the Carter Family through Dolly Parton and Minnie Pearl to Garth Brooks and Reba McIntire--all illustrated with more than 225 photos, many in full color.

A gorgeously illustrated and hugely entertaining story of America's most popular music and the singers and songwriters who captivated, entertained, and consoled listeners throughout the twentieth century—based on the eight-part film series. This fascinating history begins where country music itself emerged: the American South, where people sang to themselves and to their families at home and in church, and where they danced to fiddle tunes on Saturday nights. With the birth of radio in the 1920s, the songs moved from small towns, mountain hollers, and the wide-open West to become the music of an entire nation--a diverse range of sounds and styles from honky tonk to gospel to bluegrass to rockabilly, leading up through the decades to the music's massive commercial success today. But above all, Country Music is the story of the musicians. Here is Hank Williams's tragic honky tonk life, Dolly Parton rising to fame from a dirt-poor childhood, and Loretta Lynn turning her experiences into songs that spoke to women everywhere. Here too are interviews with the genre's biggest stars, including the likes of Merle Haggard to Garth Brooks to Rosanne Cash. Rife with rare photographs and endlessly fascinating anecdotes, the stories in this sweeping yet intimate history will captivate longtime country fans and introduce new listeners to an extraordinary body of music that lies at the very center of the American experience.

More than 65 stars of country music share their favorite recipes, cherished holiday memories, and family photos in this country-style Christmas treasury that includes a 15-song CD. A portion of the proceeds from this book will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital(, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum(, and the Edie Hand Foundation(.