About this item
(Book) . Country may be the plainspoken music of rural America, but it certainly got gussied up on its way to the hit parade. Rhinestones and Twanging Tones: The Look and Sound of Country Music shows in glittering detail how most classic country stars traded in their overalls for sequined and spangled outfits that shone from a mile away, and strummed guitars that were often just as ornately bedecked, or customized by decades of road wear. These musical accoutrements demanded attention, and certainly captivated young country fan Mac Yasuda as he was growing up in Japan. A Hank Snow record set Yasuda on a musical path that led to him becoming friends with many of his heroes and performing alongside them on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Along the way, he amassed the unique collection shared here of their signature guitars and suits (most of the latter made by the famed "rodeo tailor" Nudie) , including ones played and worn by Hank Snow, Porter Wagoner, Jim Reeves, Ferlin Husky, and other classic country stars.
About the Author
Costa Mesa-based Jim Washburn has written about music and popular culture for the Los Angeles Times, the OC Register, the Boston Globe, the OC Weekly and other publications, as well as the MSN and fourstory.org websites. He co-authored the books Martin Guitars, an Illustrated Celebration and John Crean: The Wheel and I. He has curated four exhibits at the Fullerton Museum Center, including: The Orange Groove, Orange County s Rock Music History and Lay Down the Boogie: OC in the Disco Era. In 2012, he was a guest lecturer at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts Chautauqua! engagement.
Copy and paste this link in your web browser to see Jim's 2010 OC Music Awards Lifetime Achievement hysterical introduction by his peers: https://youtu.be/Mqd7hj0f1Fc
