April 30th, 2002

Hard times and hard work have always been key ingredients in folk music. The social underpinnings of the blues have been thoroughly excavated and examined, but country music, is just as rich a subject. Bill Malone, a respected professor at Tulane University has written what promises to be a seminal work on the subject. Don't Get Above Your Raisin' is a smart and well-researched examination of the history of country music and the people and conditions that contributed to its development. Music fans and scholars of Southern culture alike will enjoy and appreciate this book.

There will be a signing and reception at 5 p.m., reading at 5:30.