Going to break this into two pieces, responding to Hal and Cindy separately, so 
it doesn't get too long --

Thanks, Hal.  I haven't seen Reynolds's book yet--I appreciate the 
recommendation and will certainly read it.  Sarah Meer's book _Uncle Tom Mania_ 
is a strong book on the Tom shows, too, if you haven't seen it.  Du Bois also 
has some interesting things to say about minstrel music in his essay on Negro 
music.

I miss the spirituals here, too.  And even if the effort is for a modern feel, 
the spirituals are modern, too, and still sung widely.

In terms of the Nashville crowd, what about Bebe and Cece Winans, Take 5, and 
Bobby Jones?  All strong Gospel singers, and all still (I believe) living and 
recording in Nashville. 


Not to mention . . . well . . . The Fisk Jubilee Singers.  Their legacy 
continues, through new young Fisk Jubilee performers, who still give concerts 
and record occasionally.  My students enjoy listening to period recordings from 
the early days of the recording industry alongside more modern Jubilee.  These 
talented young performers still get tough crowds on their feet today, and Twain 
would be right among them.  The Fisk Jubilee Singers will perform in Nashville 
on October 6, actually, among other dates, and in Ohio and Michigan in 
February.  Their website is at http://www.fiskjubileesingers.org/.
  
I wholly share your appreciation and agree with your assessment of many of these 
performers--and am eager, by the way, to look up the Church sisters, who I had 
not heard of at all (thanks!) -- but . . . . there are a lot of "roots" 
musicians who are not white, and they, too, are doing more than just playing old 
tunes, but also following the *tradition* of the music by working their own 
lives, stories, sounds, and musical tastes into new songs they're composing, 
reaching with those roots into the present.  The Carolina Chocolate Drops come 
to mind, for example.  Or Rowan Corbett, or Kim and Reggie Harris or . . . .  
They all do a lovely blend and have voices and musical skills that can knock 
your socks off.

Sharon



________________________________
From: Harold Bush <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Fri, September 23, 2011 11:41:55 AM
Subject: Re: This year's winner of the MT Award is . . . .

good question, Sharon.  and again, as Sharon notes, this response also may
sound controversial ....

As Cindy notes:  the cd is pretty much the Nashville crowd, which is pretty
white these days.  I love a lot of these artists, and some of the artists do
tap into the old appalachian roots/Americana stuff from the old days. the
Church Sisters (very young but quite talented) represent a pleasant trend in
music by youngsters -- getting back to the roots (or as Dylan named what I
think is his greatest record:  "Bringin' It All Back Home").  and there are
some of the old hands, like Jimmy Buffett or Emmylou Harris, and younger
folks like Ricky Skaggs, whose veneration for older artists like Earl
Scruggs and Doc Watson (a couple of my personal favorites) is well known.  I
like the line-up, but again;  it's all dominated by the Nashville scene, by
Jackson's own admission; and so interpret that as you wish.  Maybe John Bird
could say more on this.

A huge part of those roots, besides the race factor (and very often copuled
with African Americans) is the religious factor.  What I really miss (and I
am this very morning writing about Du Bois and the black spirituals) is, of
course, those spirituals.  There is some irony in the fact that Nashville
was once the original scene of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, whom Twain stated
on several occasions were his favorite music.  In representing his life, at
least one or two old spirituals might have been nice -- and also since they
were so prevalent in his life, and in fact were the songs he attempted to
sing while comforting his dying wife Livy, for instance.  Even the minstrel
shows and Tom shows drew upon these great songs.  I wish this were at least
represented-- especially given the deep religious convictions of the present
day Nashville scene, which seems like it should know better.  Emmylou is
pretty well known for her faith, but a lot of the other more prominent
religious artists such as Norman Blake, Alison Krause, Patty Griffin, Buddy
Miller, or T-Bone Burnett are not represented here.

Not sure why this aspect missed the cut?? Perhaps, again, the general
misunderstanding of Twain as "not religious"??  just speculating .... but
without a doubt, MT loved the black spirituals, and often sang them to
guests at his home.

ps -- Sharon and all;  if you've not read David Reynolds' new book on UNCLE
TOM'S CABIN, you might find the material on the Tom shows as surprising and
interesting as I did.  Not reviewed on this LIST, but certainly a must
read.  It is one of the most positive interpretations of the music of the
Tom shows I've come across.

--Hal B.





On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 10:00 AM, Sharon McCoy <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> May I ask what may be a provocative question?
>
> Looking over the CD, it seems to include some wonderfully talented folks.
>  But
> it seems odd to me, especially given what we know about Twain's taste in
> music,
> that a CD called "Mark Twain:  Words and Music" seems to be composed
> entirely of
> white musicians and performers.   Some of the names were unfamiliar to me,
> but
> when I did a quick Google search, they all appear to be white.  Odd.
>
>
-- 
Harold K. Bush, Ph.D
Professor of English
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO  63108
314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h)
<www.slu.edu/x23809.xml>