The Americana Revolution

The late Michael Scott Cain taught English, literature and popular culture at the college level for more than 40 years. He was an editor for rambles.net, covering jazz, blues and poetry and was the author of seven books of poetry, four novels and several works of nonfiction.

Michael Cain offers an informal social history that describes Americana as both a musical genre and a movement, showing what it is, where it came from and where it is going. Through anecdotes and interviews, Cain provides a firsthand view into the creation of Americana, trying to clarify how the genre can be categorized and defined.

Introduction1. Origins of the Americana Movement2. Will the Circle Be Unbroken?3. When Things Go Wrong, Blame the Radio4. Don¿t Drink from a Bottle If You Didn¿t See It OpenedInterlude: Roger McGuinn: Respecting Tradition While Transforming It5. ¿If I could find a white boy who sang black¿6. Appropriating Black CultureInterlude: Rosanne Cash7. The Irish Claim the Bronx8. Bringing the Good News9. The Battle for the SoulInterlude: Kris Kristofferson10. As Duke Ellington Said, There¿s Only Two Types of Music: Good and Bad11. Speaking the Truth to Those Who Have Ears to Listen12. Americana as a Symbol of Musical Adulthood13. Let¿s Go Backwards When Forwards Fails14. Swallowing Other Genres15. A Sense of Community16. It Might Be a Great Bag to Be In, But Why Must I Be in a Bag at All?Interlude: Jim Lauderdale17. The Archetype of Americana18. Back to the Question: Do We Have Any Idea What Americana Is?Coda: An Annotated List of Recommended RecordingsSelect Bibliography