Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music

By Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann

Book Overview

After its initial publication in 1993, Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann's Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music quickly became an essential book for country music scholars and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517581140
• ISBN13: 9780517581148
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: Crown
• Length: 593 Pages
• Weight: 2.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.5" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Amazing!

A wonderful book! The captivating story of women in country music (from the superstars to the forgotten names who recover in this book the merits they deserve) through the women's history of the last two centuries. My congratulations to the authors for their work!

Much more than I expected

A female social historian and a male music journalist co-wrote this wide-ranging book, which traces the history of country music through its women. Well, nobody could write such a book without mentioning plenty of men along the way, but the story is definitely about the women. It begins in the nineteenth century and discusses every famous female country singer (and plenty of obscure ones) up to the year 2000, but there is far more to this book than that. Because this book is about social history as well as country music, it reminds us of life as it used to be without tap water and without electricity. While men spent all day working on the farm or in the factory, women spent all day doing the housework. This included fetching water in buckets from the nearest well, among other chores that are long since consigned to history in the developed world. So it was that the kind of songs that women sang were often very different from the kind of songs that men sang. Over time, technology, wars and other developments changed everybody's lives. Two world wars opened opportunities for women. In between, an economic depression, compounded by the dust bowl, caused mass-migration as people fled the impoverished southern states. All these developments and others became reflected in the music that women sang and recorded. The mass-migration that started in the thirties took country music all around America. Later, American troops took their music to wherever they served in he second world war including Europe, Australia and Japan. Social changes including women's liberation all made their mark on country music. In business generally, women had to fight hard to break down barriers, and country music reflects this. As women have penetrated male business bastions, they have attained important managerial and boardroom position in the country music business. The book suggests that Frances Preston is one of the most influential people in country music, or in any music. Maybe, but your average country music fan has probably never heard of her. Still, she deserves her place in this book. As far as the music itself is concerned, every aspect of country music seems to be covered, including women raised on country music but who became successful pop singers, as well as outsiders who achieved varying degrees of success within country music. In the forties, it seems that there was an abundance of female country singers performing live, most famously Rose Maddox, but the male-dominated country music industry didn't give them much of a chance on record. Yet some of the most successful female pop singers of the era were raised on country, including the Dinning sisters, Patti Page, Dinah Shore, Kay Starr and Jo Stafford. To varying degrees, their country heritage shows in their recorded music. Margaret Whiting was the first outsider to make a big impact on country music, when she teamed up with Jimmy Wakely for a series of duets. Those duets had an impact that lasted long aft

An astute, well-researched, artfully presented text

Collaboratively compiled and expertly edited by cultural anthropologist Mary A Bufwack and music journalist Robert K. Oermann, Finding Her Voice: Women In Country Music 1800-2000 is an information-laden, 624-page compendium of women's contributions to country music down through the past two centuries. Black-and-white photographs enliven the pages of this astute, well-researched, artfully presented text. Finding Her Voice is a seminal work of music history scholarship and a superb educational text and resource which is especially recommended for American Music History academic reference collections and to dedicated country music fans.

great book on country music

Mary A. Bufwack writes in a gossipy like style that made this book an easy read. The author is enthusiastic about the subject. She tries to squeeze in the name practically of every girl who sang a song. She even devotes a chapter to the genres that are related to country like folk and more so rockabilly. There are plenty of pictures throughout the book. Unlike the author I don't see the downfall of the gingham dress to be such a success. The girls in the beginning of the book just look so cute. This book has introduced me to several people such as Kay Adams and the Girls of the Golden West. For this I'm very grateful.

Good, Flawed trewatment of an interesting subject.

As one reviewer notes, this book begins beautifullly, with its account of mountain balladeers and the great,tragic, still little known folklorist ( She was NOT a singer), Emma Bell Miles. Afterwards the book is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, it is geunuinely rich in information and human insight.Ms. Bufwack, and her co-author/lover, Mr. Oerman, clearly love the music and the women who make it. However, the book seems to suffer from a sort of split personality. Oermann knows the music business, but he is also an ex-publicist, and as a result, his prose does tend toward press-agent puffery. Ms Bufwack, an trained antropologist , is clearly deeply informed about aspects of country. asd befits a woman who once wrote the liner notes to a Wanda Jackson record, her knowledge of Rockabilly music and rockabilly women is deep. Still, she occcasionally seems determined to view the women of Country through feminist spectacles. That isnt entirely bad- too many feminists take a condescending attitude toward country women. However, my biggest problem with this book is that there wasnt a cassette accompanying it!