In The Roots of Rock, from Cardiff to Mississippi and Back Peter Finch
reflects on how popular music has shaped both his life and the culture
in which he lives, from first hearing American music on the radio in his
Cardiff home in the 1950s to the compendious and downloadable riches of
digital files. Finch has always gone to gigs and now he travels to the
bars of Ireland, the clubs of New York, the plains of Tennessee, the
flatlands of Mississippi and the mountains of North Carolina to get a
feel for the culture from which his favourite music originates. The
resulting book mixes musical autobiography with an exploration of
physical places in western Europe and the US. It is a demonstration of
the power of music to create a world for the listener that is
simultaneously of and beyond the place in which it is heard.
Finch marks his journey with reminiscences of music in Britain from
skiffle and early Cliff Richard pop to Bill Cotton and his Band to
Champion Jack Dupree playing the local British Legion. There are asides
on forming your own (destined to fail) band, the rise of folk music, the
arrival of the blues and the burgeoning Welsh language scene. In the US
come visits to Dollywood, Graceland, Muscle Shoals, Grand Ole Opry and
Stax, plus the Appalachian mountains and the crossroads on Highway 49
where Robert Johnson made his devilish pact.
The cast of musicians includes Muddy Waters, Taylor Swift, Bessie Smith,
Tommy Steele, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Chris Tweed and
singing cowboys. They are joined by music historians like Cecil Sharp,
Maud Kapeles and Harrison Mayes who helped formalise and save
traditions, by jugbands, gospel choirs and Anne Nichols, the tragic
Knoxville Girl.
Each chapter is accompanied by a multi-track play list to help the
reader have the full flavour of what Finch's musical experiences and
bring alive the many sharp witted stories and thoughtful cultural
connections. The result is an entertaining, informative book from which
the reader will learn much and hear more.
