Thank you for your interest in the history of bluegrass music. Within the more than 600 pages of this 1997 publication, you’ll find more first person quotations by the pioneers of bluegrass ever assembled.
This valuable book a perpetual resource for those wanting to know more about its pioneers…dozens of them. And there are hundreds of photos which bring the words to life.
America’s Music: Bluegrass was assembled from hundreds of first-person interviews. Then there was an intensive effort to make sure that each biography was personally approved by each pioneer. The process of creating each biography usually began with published articles followed up with in-person interviews or phone interviews, all recorded for accuracy. Then the person’s biography was sent to them to approve it. Occasionally, the process included several weeks of mail exchanges to get it right.
On this website is the first chapter of America’s Music: Bluegrass called “Roots.” The other twenty-five chapters have been saved on Google Drive. To gain access to these chapters, the reader is required to download them from my own Google Drive. Details are below.
Another important feature stored at this site is dozens of audio interviews which were used to create America’s Music: Bluegrass. These audio recordings were not meant to be perfectly recorded with high fidelity but simply as an aid to construction/creation of the book. So the recordings may include considerable background noise at a bluegrass festival or poor phone connection.
While the recordings may not be the best, we can still hear and understand the pioneers in their own voices telling their story. We can relive their stories by listening to them speak.
And that’s not all. Since America’s Music: Bluegrass was created in 1997, much more information about bluegrass history has surfaced. Much of this information is included on this website without a subscription or charge or download. This “Additional Research Material” is accessed from the tab on the home page of this site.
To obtain these chapters and the audio interviews, you must pay through PayPal. This is not a subscription; it’s a one-time deal. A download to your computer from Google Drive.
After we get $20 payment, we will get notice to share a Google Drive folder with you: the one with all these features and information just described. you’ll have to have access to Google Drive. We’ll see your email then send you an email to share these files on my computer with you.
We hope this is an adequate explanation for you (we’re newbies to website operation. If it doesn’t work as described, drop me a note and we’ll fix it).
Terms and Conditions, Refund Policy, Payment Terms
- The payment for the products listed on this website, barryrwillis.com are non-refundable. If you are dissatisfied with the product, donate the book to a library so patrons may enjoy it.
- Shipping will be paid for by the buyer and the amount agreed upon by the seller at the time of purchase. If an item is lost during shipping, the cost of the item (not including shipping) will be replaced by U.S. Mail. If a product is damaged during shipping, seller will not be held responsible.
- The owner of this website, Barry R. Willis, will not share your information with others.
- Books will normally be sent by the United States Postal Service using Flat Rate envelopes. If this is not adequate, please let us know and we will make arrangements to send with a different method.
- America’s Music: Bluegrass. A History of Bluegrass Music in the Words of Its Pioneers was published in hard and soft copy in 1997 and 1998. Copies of these books may be available for you to purchase online, but not here. The book which is available here is partially viewed on this website. The remainder of the book and additional features is available by a one-time purchase. The purchase enables a person access (by Google Drive) the remaining book chapters as well as the audio interviews used to create this book. These downloads are stored on Google Drive.
Author Barry R. Willis was given consent/permission to use these recordings at the time the recordings were made.
- No person may share the contents of this website or the content on Google Drive without express authorization by author. The content belongs to Barry R. Willis (Pine Valley Music).
- Orders will be fulfilled within three days of receipt of payment. Notification of the Google Drive password will come to purchaser by email.
Anti-Piracy
Be advised that these chapters and these interviews are proprietary and not for dissemination to others who have not purchased this product.
When these interviews were recorded by Barry R. Willis, implied consent was given to use these conversations to create America’s Music: Bluegrass. Many of these interviews were later authorized in writing to be used here. This was done by tracking down the interviewed person or nearest relative for permission to use these audios here.
So please respect these conversations as they were intended by the interviewed person, and that it was to be shared as a valuable portion of bluegrass history. Their personal thoughts and points of view.
Please do not share these with others.
Thanks, Barry R. Willis