Chet: King Picker and Pioneer of the Nashville Sound

 Chet: King Picker and Pioneer of the Nashville Sound by Mark Ribowsky, 352 pgs. © 2026

    

Oh by jingo, this is the second! book about Chet Atkins that was published in the last year. It makes youwonder what's pushing the renewed interest--is there a viral Tik-Tok out there using Mr. Sandman in the background? Nonetheless, if you're a guitar geek or a country music afficionado, there's much to learn from this offering by Ribowsky, who published a spirited, researched bio on the legendary Hank Williams about a decade ago. 

    This book is the origin story of the original guitar hero--born in a holler in rural Tennessee, life was "Steinbeck-ian," living in a one-room country shack with a few siblings. He developed asthma early on (which kept him from entering the army during the draft), but fell in love with the guitar his older brother brought home--a beat-up Silvertone (interestingly, his older brother also had a fine career as a guitar player, performing with the Les Paul Trio for many years). He wanted the guitar so bad that all of his brother's chores in exchange for playing it, which he did until his fingers bled. He would sit at the radio and listen to broadcasts, trying to figure out what guitarists were doing in their playing. 

    His love for the music of Merle Travis influenced his unique thumb-picking style, which incorporated his other fingers to play the higher notes of a melody, something no one else was really doing at the time. He became known for lighting fast guitar licks and attention to detail. Fast-forward to his 20s and he's finally broken through in Nashville with RCA records and has become a highly-sought out producer, working with Elvis, Perry Como, Patsy Cline and countless more. His dedication to developing a "Nashville Sound" helped make Nashville the music capital is widely known as today. He was still working out licks on his guitar well into his 70s, right up until he passed away in 2001. 

Colton Gentry's Third Act

Colton Gentry's Third Act by Jeff Zentner, 389 pages

Colton Gentry is a country music singer whose recent hit, "Honeysuckle Summer," has given him a second chance at stardom. But he's also grieving the loss of a good friend who was killed in a mass shooting at a music festival. So when he drunkenly goes off on America's gun culture while onstage, Colton swiftly finds himself kicked out of country music. And since his pop star wife has left him for a hockey player, Colton has nothing to do but go home to the tiny town of Venice, Kentucky, after finishing rehab. Imagine his surprise when he finds out that the single fine-dining restaurant in town is run by his high school sweetheart, Luann — AKA the woman who inspired "Honeysuckle Summer" — and that she's willing to give him a job in her restaurant's kitchen to help him get back on his feet.

While there are pieces of this that seem unlikely (mainly the two main characters being good at literally everything they do, from sports to singing to architecture to cooking fancy meals), I really appreciate the realism of Colton's struggle with alcoholism and his uncomfortable return home. This story is full of heart, humor, and coming to terms with who you are when you think you have nothing left. An excellent book (even if, like me, you can't stand country music).

Candidly Cline

 Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee, 320 pages.

Cline Alden loves music, just like the other Alden women before her. But these days her mama doesn't seem interested in music, insisting that it won't get Cline anywhere and that she should be practical. So when Cline hears about a young songwriters workshop forty minutes away at the University of Lexington she's sure she has to go, and just as sure her mama won't understand. With some fibbing and some help from her gran she manages to get to the workshop, where she realizes just how much of herself she's been keeping to herself. Which only becomes more obvious when she starts falling for her songwriting partner when she hasn't even told anyone she likes girls yet. 

This book was so extremely wholesome and honest. Despite being a middle grade novel Ormsbee's prose is rich and lush, and Kentucky comes through clear and strong. I also appreciate how focused this book stayed, not going off on the common diversions I was expecting from a coming of age novel and instead staying very focused on it's own themes. It also gave me a good list of classic country music to look into. Overall, I found this novel so emotionally fulfilling and smart, and I would definitely recommend it to others, middle schoolers or adults.

Major Labels

Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres by Kelefa Sanneh (2021) 496 pages

This has been on my reading list for a couple years, so I moved it to the top when I saw the Rhythm & Books book group was reading it. I did not finish it in time for the discussion, but I did enjoy it. I learned a lot. The Rock, R&B, and Country chapters were very informative and the most like a broad history. The author was a big fan of Punk and Hip-Hop, so those chapters switch to a more first-person point of view. Then the chapters on Dance music and Pop music are much shorter. Through the author's record store job as a teen, to his college radio DJ experience, to his work as a music critic for a couple different newspapers he shows how deeply he understands the business and art of popular music. The research and analysis is fascinating. My reading pace was a bit slow getting through it, but it could have been even slower if I stopped to make or find a playlist for all the songs mentioned.
 

Me & Patsy kickin' up dust

Me and Patsy kickin' up dust: my friendship with Patsy Cline / Loretta Lynn, read by Patsy Lynn Russell, 235 pgs.

Patsy took Loretta under her wing when they first met in Nashville.  They were young mothers and country singers.  Patsy was already at the top of her game, Loretta was still figuring it out.  Birds of a feather, they became best friends.  Here Lynn recounts her early marriage and meeting Patsy. They were fast friends until their relationship was cut short by Cline's death in an airplane crash.  Heart warming and tender, it was fun to hear stories of these two country singing greats causing a little trouble and making their way.

The Carter Family

The Carter Family by Frank M. Young & David Lasky  192

This is a graphic novel history of the early days of the musical Carter family. It follows the courtship and marriage of A.P. Carter and Sara and of Maybelle to Ezra Carter. A.P., Sara, and Maybelle began their professional career recording old folk melodies collected by A.P. in his travels. Later on they had a radio show and continued to make recordings. Eventually some of their children joined them in performing and recording. It's a pretty thorough history that ends with June Carter and her husband Johnny Cash discussing A.P.'s contribution to country music. I'm not a country music fan and was only familiar with Maybelle and June Carter although I knew there were other performers in the family. Interesting and well done.

Satan is Real: the Ballad of the Louvin Brothers by Charlie Louvin and Benjamin Whitmer

Satan is Real: the Ballad of the Louvin Brothers by Charlie Louvin and Benjamin Whitmer. Country music memoir, 305 pages. I'm not a big fan of country music, and I've never really heard of the Louvin Brothers, but the book had an interesting cover, some cool things said about it by people I respect, and a first chapter that grabbed me, so I read it. The first chapter, where Charlie beats the hell out of his older brother for getting drunk and disrespecting their mom, was the best part. The rest of it was mildly interesting, and probably best for someone who has actually heard of the duo and has some interest in their music. Check our catalog.