BOOK REVIEWS
Whispering Pines: The Northern Roots of American Music … From Hank Snow to The Band
by Jason Schneider
Price: $28.95 cloth
ISBN: 978-1-55022-874-8
Page count: 360 pp.
Size: 6 x 9
Released: July
In Whispering Pines, Jason Schneider, one of Canada’s authorities on the subject of roots music, turns his expertise to the little-known Canadian origin of some of the 20th century’s most famous American popular music. Using the Band’s legendary Last Waltz as a frame for his story, Schneider takes readers through 50 years in which the influence of Canadians on American music was seismic.
Beginning with seminal country singers Hank Snow and Wilf Carter, then running through the canon of Canadian musicians, Schneider has created a narrative that encompasses the history of Canadian popular songwriting and touches on an impressive number of major American artists.
At the heart of Whispering Pines is the story of how Canadians managed to create a rich and vibrant culture that succeeded on both sides of the border. Rather than celebrate an insular brand of Canadiana, this book tells the story of how Canadians exported their ideals, identity, talent, and creative output to help shape the musical dialogue in the U.S.
For the devout audiophile, the insider knowledge and first-hand accounts from musicians of the writing and recording process will be a treat, while for the pop-culture fan, Whispering Pines functions as an examination of how Canadians interact with the cultural juggernaut to the south.
While a lesser writer might have been tempted to stick to such big names as the Band, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young, Schneider’s thorough research goes beyond those Canadian superstars, highlighting those unknown figures who made an undeniable difference toiling in the background. For the lay reader, the admittedly dizzying array of band names, rotating personnel, and track titles could be off-putting, but Schneider has included a helpful discography that could easily be repurposed as a shopping list for the uninitiated.
In Whispering Pines, Schneider has done a masterful job showcasing how Canadian songs and songwriters have impacted North American music, and how American artists, from Jimmie Rodgers to Janis Joplin, fit into the fabric of Canada’s musical tradition.
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