Recommend regional music history/discography books

Lisa_Wheeler

Lisa_Wheeler

Mark VII Class
Joined
Jul 15, 2011
Trying to stockpile my library with good research books. Really doesn't matter what genre.
Looking now for regional books on local bands....

Small press, spiral, copied page things are fine too...
Thinking along the same lines as Florida's Famous and Forgotten, or Savage Lost (also Florida), Baltimore Sounds, Memphis Flyer kinda stuff. There's a Colorado one I have, but the name escapes me, right now, etc... you get the idea.

Yeah, I'm sure a lot of these are out of print, but recommend them anyway.

Yes, I intend to buy Teenbeat Mayhem - but want to add others.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions!
 
I highly recommend Gary E Myer's two books covering the state of Wisconsin

http://www.music-gem.com/wisconsin-music-books.html

Sounds From The Woods - Pennsylvania Rock Bands On Record 1964-1970 2nd edition by Mike Kuzmin c.2005 165 pages, comb-wire binding (self-published book covering Pennsylvania groups, a discography, doesn't include band entries, etc)

Oklahoma Guide to 45rpm Records and Bands 1955-1975: A chronicle of the Music, The Musicians and the Madness, Volume One - Oklahoma City and southern Oklahoma by Rhett Lake and Teb Blackwell c. 2007, 299 pages, comb-binding.

Dance Halls, Armories and Teen Fairs - A History of Pacific Northwest Rock & Pop Recording Artisits of the Fifties and Sixties, Volume 1 - Don Rogers c 1988 Music Archives Press, 128 pgs, softcover. (this book is still highly valid despite being out of print for two decades. A volume 2 was never published) I'd like to reprint this book as one of my future projects in an updated version


There are other sources worthy of mention, although they are not books per se:

Lost And Found (Volumes 1 through 5) self publsihed by Mark Prellberg and Jim Oldsberg (early to mid 1990s, covers midwest recording groups from the '50s and '60s from various states and regions)

Show Me Blowout (Vol. 1, 2 and 3) self published by Deke Dickerson (Deke did the Kicks magazine type 'zine approach with these in the late 80s' / earl;y 90s, all have great interviews of '50s and '60s performers from his homestate of Missouri. Volume 3 includes Deke's own researched Missouri based 45rpm discography).

Tom Tourville issued a slew of discographies in the '80s and early '90s covering various states and regions. His Minnesota booklets (two editions) are probably the best of the lot, but all of his efforts have tons of errors, many which could have been omitted and corrected quite easily back in the day.
Likewise, Aram Heller's Till The stroke Of Dawn is a small paperback booklet discography of New England groups who recorded in the 60s. This, too, is woefully inaccurate, and not worth having as a reliable reference.
 
You do have the John Ingman West Texas book right?

Isn't there another Southwest disco from years ago?

Ruben Molina's Chicano Soul book has a nice disco in the back that covers hispanic bands and labels from the Southwest.
 
Joe Vaccarino's book Baltimore Sounds bands/artists of the Baltimore regional area from 1950 to 2000 might be worth considering. It out of print but a new updated version is coming this year.
 
Arcadia Publishing (in the US) has put out a few regional books that cover garage bands. The had a scan of a New Lime ad in the Cincinnati book.
 
HarvestmanMan said:
Arcadia Publishing (in the US) has put out a few regional books that cover garage bands. The had a scan of a New Lime ad in the Cincinnati book.
Click to expand...

I know the authors of the books you mention about bands from Columbus and Cincinnati. They are in no means intended to portray a wide ranging history of bands and music for permanent record. They are pretty much intended to be something akin to a local museum display where a few people supply pics, it's organized for people to spend a few minutes gazing at a shapshot in time and then it's left behind. Anyone who knows more than a bit about local bands would not be satisfied as these books as references.
In defense of the authors, that's the way the publisher wants them, the authors are pretty constrained by the publishers format that has been used for 100s of books on a wide variety of Americana.
 
MopTopMike said:
Dance Halls, Armories and Teen Fairs - A History of Pacific Northwest Rock & Pop Recording Artisits of the Fifties and Sixties, Volume 1 - Don Rogers c 1988 Music Archives Press, 128 pgs, softcover. (this book is still highly valid despite being out of print for two decades. A volume 2 was never published) I'd like to reprint this book as one of my future projects in an updated version
Click to expand...
I bought this from Don as a PDF file on CD a few years back. I think it was $15. The book itself is very difficult to find for a reasonable price. The quality seems to be likely as good as the original (all b&w), and the text is searchable, which is a plus.
 
buckeyebeat said:
I know the authors of the books you mention about bands from Columbus and Cincinnati. They are in no means intended to portray a wide ranging history of bands and music for permanent record. They are pretty much intended to be something akin to a local museum display where a few people supply pics, it's organized for people to spend a few minutes gazing at a shapshot in time and then it's left behind. Anyone who knows more than a bit about local bands would not be satisfied as these books as references.
Click to expand...
I wholeheartedly agree. Didn't read the OP about good research books.
 
Lookie what I got in the mail yesterday!

Tourvillebooks_zpsc6cd7d14.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.