NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A celebration of American history
through the music that helped to shape a nation, by Pulitzer Prize
winner Jon Meacham and music superstar Tim McGraw
"Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw form an irresistible duo--connecting us to
music as an unsung force in our nation's history."--Doris Kearns
Goodwin
Through all the years of strife and triumph, America has been shaped not
just by our elected leaders and our formal politics but also by our
music--by the lyrics, performers, and instrumentals that have helped to
carry us through the dark days and to celebrate the bright ones.
From "The Star-Spangled Banner" to "Born in the U.S.A.," Jon Meacham and
Tim McGraw take readers on a moving and insightful journey through eras
in American history and the songs and performers that inspired us.
Meacham chronicles our history, exploring the stories behind the songs,
and Tim McGraw reflects on them as an artist and performer. Their
perspectives combine to create a unique view of the role music has
played in uniting and shaping a nation.
Beginning with the battle hymns of the revolution, and taking us through
songs from the defining events of the Civil War, the fight for women's
suffrage, the two world wars, the Great Depression, the civil rights
movement, the Vietnam War, and into the twenty-first century, Meacham
and McGraw explore the songs that defined generations, and the cultural
and political climates that produced them. Readers will discover the
power of music in the lives of figures such as Harriet Tubman, Franklin
Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King, Jr., and will
learn more about some of our most beloved musicians and performers,
including Marian Anderson, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin,
Bob Dylan, Duke Ellington, Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, and more.
Songs of America explores both famous songs and lesser-known ones,
expanding our understanding of the scope of American music and lending
deeper meaning to the historical context of such songs as "My Country,
'Tis of Thee," "God Bless America," "Over There," "We Shall Overcome,"
and "Blowin' in the Wind." As Quincy Jones says, Meacham and McGraw have
"convened a concert in Songs of America," one that reminds us of who
we are, where we've been, and what we, at our best, can be.
