Ralph Peer and the Making of Popular Roots Music

“Mr. He likewise brings impressive clarity and cohesion to considering the big-picture nexus of culture, commerce and evolving technology in which Peer’s saga unfolds. He tells this complex, intertwined story with ample substance for serious scholars while also making his book welcoming and accessible for neophytes.” —The Wall Street Journal. Mazor discusses the evolution of American music and intricacies of music publishing with equal authority

This is the first biography of Ralph Peer, the adventurous—even revolutionary—A&R man and music publisher who changed the breadth and flavor of popular music in the United States and around the world. It is the story of the life and 50-year career of the man who was crucial in discovering star musicians and establishing the genres of blues, jazz, country, gospel, and Latin music. It tracks Peer's role in such groundbreaking episodes as recording the record that sparked the blues craze, the first country recording sessions with Fiddlin' John Carson, his discovery of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family at the famed Bristol Sessions, the populari

"he liked what happened when these musics melded into the mainstream" according to Peter S. Shenkin. Fabulous. I knew of Peer as the discoverer of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter family, but did not realize that he was present at Mamie Smith's first big-selling recording, nor that he was involved in the early careers of Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong. He nearly single-handedly introduced Latin-American music to (North) America, and he surviv. Gary Wilson said Landmark roots music scholarship from one of the best writers in the field. A great read!. Barry Mazor’s fascinating, beautifully written book about Ralph Peer’s life and work brings into sharp focus Peer’s hitherto unexplored role as the architect not only of individual careers at the dawn of recorded country music, but of roots music itself as a force in the marketplace and the culture at large. It was Peer, Ma. Ralph Peer was the Idol Maker! I’ve known for a long time who Ralph Peer was, mainly through his role in the Bristol sessions. However, thanks to this book my eyes were opened wide regarding Peer’s foresight, business practices, deep reach into several different genres, and the ultimate impact he had on popular music. There were so many different points and ac