My book on the Old-Time Fiddler (and Banjoer), Kerry Blech, has just been published:
"Kerry Blech: A Life Documenting, Recording, and Performing
Old-Time Fiddle Tunes"
McFarland and Company, Publishers Jefferson, NC
Here’s the abstract:
The fiddler Kerry Blech (1947 – 2023) developed an insatiable curiosity about old-time music history, and an intensive interest in the creative lives of elder fiddlers - as well as contemporary traditional musicians. Beginning in the early 1970s, he built a notable collection of field recordings, LPs, and copies of old-time music recorded during the 1920s and 1930s. He wrote insightful, detailed reviews of recorded old-time music, books, and videos for the Old-Time Herald from 1987 to 2008. For close to fifty years, he contributed meaningfully to old-time music projects – liner notes for commercial recordings, presentations to audiences on the music of elder fiddlers, research on tune origins, and the derivations of versions and variants of old fiddle tunes. Kerry’s musical interests were broadly focused on traditional music, and more narrowly fixed on old-time fiddling and string band music across broad swatches of the U.S. He sought to understand making music – especially old-time music - in those contexts in a manner that relied less on theory, and thus less on academic approaches in a folkloric vein or through social science tools, and more on listening to music, witnessing music being made, and talking about music.
Here's the Amazon.com order link:
amazon.com/Kerry-Blech-Documen...476698430
And here's the McFarland publishing house link to order the book:
mcfarlandbooks.com/product/Kerry-Blech/
Books A Million is also carrying the book:
booksamillion.com/p/Kerry-Blec...476698434
Buy early and buy often . . .
Cheers,
Lew Stern
Just ordered a copy. I'm looking forward to reading it!
I’ve read his name often and know so little. I’m looking forward to learning more about this significant person who contributed to the music I love.
You’re still working hard, Lew. Congratulations on this newest accomplishment!
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