Paul Burch with Peter Guralnick: Meridian Rising

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The magical imagined memoir of American music legend Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music

Known for “Blue Yodel (T for Texas),” “Waiting for a Train,” and “In the Jailhouse Now,” Jimmie Rodgers’s impact on American music is incalculable. Paul Burch's bio-fictional tale of the short and poignant life of the "Father of Country Music” includes an imagined first-person memoir, accompanied by spirited, hilarious, and often conflicting recollections of Jimmie’s family and music colleagues, along with period black-and-white illustrations.Born in 1897 in Meridian, Mississippi, Rodgers remains the only artist voted into the Rock & Roll, Country, Blues, and Songwriters Halls of Fame. Generations of fans from B. B. King and Johnny Cash to George Harrison and Dolly Parton recall a Rodgers record as the first music played in their home. But his fame extended far beyond America to Africa, Ireland, England, Australia, and Russia. His disciples include Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan, John Prine, the Clash’s Joe Strummer, Jack White, and anyone over the last century who has picked up a guitar to sing about life and the world around it.Meridian Rising is at once an immersive tale and a brilliant literary puzzle, deftly blending history and fiction to create a vibrant alternative life-tale of the entertainer Howling Wolf called “my man that I really dug.” Written with the knowledge and sensitivity of a touring musician who has traveled many of the same roads and stages, Meridian Rising engages the reader in a quest for truth while confronting the deceptions that live within our deepest relationships.

Paul Burch, a native of Washington, D.C., is a writer, composer, and recording artist. Burch has produced numerous albums with his band the WPA Ballclub, including Last of My Kind, a companion to Tony Earley’s best-selling novel Jim the Boy, as well as a musical version of Meridian Rising. In addition, Burch has produced recordings with Mark Knopfler, Ralph Stanley, Lambchop, and Charlie Louvin, which received a GRAMMY nomination.

Peter Guralnick has been called "a national resource" by critic Nat Hentoff for work that has argued passionately and persuasively for the vitality of this country’s intertwined Black and White musical traditions. His books include the prize-winning two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love; Sweet Soul Music; Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke; and Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll. His most recent book is Looking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music and Writing, and he has just published The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership That Rocked the World. He wrote the scripts for the Grammy-winning documentary Sam Cooke/Legend and Martin Scorsese’s blues documentary, Feel Like Going Home.

Brookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!

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