Country Music: The Rough Guide

"The Rough Guide to Country Music is both a record buyer's guide as well as an encyclopedia; it covers every phase of country's development, from hillbilly string bands and honky-tonk legends to the musicians of the new century, both mainstream and "alternative."" "Features include: insightful essays that trace Country's growth from hand-me-down folk to a major American industry; concise biographies of hundreds of performers - not just the household names and million-selling stars, but also the oddballs, outsiders, and overlooked innovators; critical album reviews, from the earliest commercial recordings of the 1920s through the multiplatinum artists of today; and more than 250 images, including vintage album jackets and previously unpublished photos." --Book Jacket.