Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country MusicNow in paperback, the nationally acclaimed Rednecks and Bluenecks is veteran Entertainment Weekly journalist Chris Willman's lively account of "how music makes strange political bedfellows and how artists' perceived politics change over time" (Booklist). How did the erstwhile music of the rural working class come to be the music of choice of the GOP? Rednecks and Bluenecks looks at the way country's increasing popularity and conservative drift parallel the transformation of the Democratic South into the heart of the Republican mainstream. Written in a "breezy, irreverent style" (Publishers Weekly), Rednecks and Bluenecks "explore[s] the left- or right-wing leanings of his subjects, from heavyweights like the Dixie Chicks, Toby Keith, Steve Earle, Brooks & Dunn, and Clint Black to newer, minor artists like the Drive-By Truckers." Interviewing "nearly everyone who's anyone in country music, from Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn to current superstars like Ronnie Dunn" (In These Times), Willman makes clear that country is a place where a passionate American political debate is taking place. |
Contents
Row Rage The Rules of Engagement in Music City USA | 1 |
Plucked The Dixie Chicks on the Path to Slaughter | 21 |
Courtesy of the Red White and Formerly Blue Toby Willie and the Disappearance of the Southern Democrat | 57 |
Opryland DC Visits with the GOPs Favorite Stars | 85 |
Of Boots and Bumper Stickers War Whoops Peace Anthems and Funeral Songs | 115 |
Town Country Jungle Trench A Short History of Country in Wartime and Election Time | 141 |
The Donkey Under the Elephant in the Room Music Row Democrats Come Out | 187 |
Steve Earles Mouth Is Gonna Rise Again All Country and the Loyal Opposition | 207 |