
The Messenger
The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard
Brian T. Atkinson(Author)
Texas A & M University Press
Will be published approx. on 30. August 2019
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-62349-778-1 (ISBN)
Description
Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll declared, "Ray would be at the top of the list if I were gonna read about somebody's life." In The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard, author, journalist, and music producer Brian T. Atkinson demonstrates why Carll and so many others hold Ray Wylie Hubbard in such high regard. Atkinson takes readers into and beyond the seedy bar in Red River, New Mexico, where the incident occurred that inspired Hubbard's most famous song, "Redneck Mother." Hubbard tells the stories, and Atkinson enlists other musicians to expound on the nature of his abiding influence as songwriter, musician, and unflinching teller of uncomfortable truths.
Featuring interviews with well-known artists such as Eric Church, Steve Earle, Kinky Friedman, Chris Robinson, and Jerry Jeff Walker, and also mining the insights of up-and-comers such as Elizabeth Cook, Jaren Johnston, Ben Kweller, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Paul Thorn, The Messenger makes clear why so many musicians across a wide spectrum admire Ray Wylie Hubbard. Readers will also learn why "Redneck Mother," the song that put Hubbard on the map for most listeners, is also a curse, of sorts, in its diminution of both his spiritual depth as a lyricist and his multidimensional musical reach. As Hubbard himself says, "The song probably should have never been written, let alone recorded, let alone recorded again.. . . the most important part of songwriting is right after you write a song, ask yourself, "Can I sing this for twenty-five years?'"
Atkinson's work makes a convincing case that Ray Wylie Hubbard's truest and most lasting contributions will long outlive him. And, with a couple of good breaks, they may even outlive "Redneck Mother.
Featuring interviews with well-known artists such as Eric Church, Steve Earle, Kinky Friedman, Chris Robinson, and Jerry Jeff Walker, and also mining the insights of up-and-comers such as Elizabeth Cook, Jaren Johnston, Ben Kweller, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Paul Thorn, The Messenger makes clear why so many musicians across a wide spectrum admire Ray Wylie Hubbard. Readers will also learn why "Redneck Mother," the song that put Hubbard on the map for most listeners, is also a curse, of sorts, in its diminution of both his spiritual depth as a lyricist and his multidimensional musical reach. As Hubbard himself says, "The song probably should have never been written, let alone recorded, let alone recorded again.. . . the most important part of songwriting is right after you write a song, ask yourself, "Can I sing this for twenty-five years?'"
Atkinson's work makes a convincing case that Ray Wylie Hubbard's truest and most lasting contributions will long outlive him. And, with a couple of good breaks, they may even outlive "Redneck Mother.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
College Station
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
90 black & white photographs
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
585 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-62349-778-1 (9781623497781)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Brian T. Atkinson, author of I'll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt and coauthor of Kent Finlay, Dreamer, is an Austin-based freelance writer and music producer.