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>