"Fire in the Water, Earth in the Air - Legends of West Texas Music" by Christopher Oglesby
(UT Press, 2006)
* paperback,ISBN 978-0-292-71434-2;
* cloth cover,ISBN 978-0-292-71419-9
To purchase the book, go to:
Amazon or University of Texas Press
"As a whole, the interviews create a portrait not only of Lubbock's musicians and artists, but also of the musical community that has sustained them, including venues such as the legendary Cotton Club and the original Stubb's Barbecue. This kaleidoscopic portrait of the West Texas music scene gets to the heart of what it takes to create art in an isolated, often inhospitable environment. As Oglesby says, 'Necessity is the mother of creation. Lubbock needed beauty, poetry, humor, and it needed to get up and shake its communal ass a bit or go mad from loneliness and boredom; so Lubbock created the amazing likes of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Terry Allen, and Joe Ely.'"
- University of Texas Press
"Indeed, Oglesby's introduction of more than two dozen musicians who called Lubbock home should be required reading not only for music fans, but for Lubbock residents and anyone thinking about moving here. On these pages, music becomes a part of Lubbock's living history."
- William Kerns, Lubbock Avalanche Journal
While there is considerable attention to the "strangeness" of Lubbock, one of the great strengths of the book is a subtle narrative that builds to an insight voiced most clearly by Jimmie Dale Gilmore in the penultimate interview: "It seems like a disproportionate number of really creative people have come from Lubbock. Rather I should say, a large number of people have become known who came from that area. I don't think any place creates any more creative people than any other place." Oglesby has gathered a talented and diverse group here, and the result is an excellent introduction for students and others who want to know more about this place that has had such an influence on music. It is inspiring for the unanimity with which these talented folks echo Gilmore's belief that "regular, everyday people that nobody ever heard of in general are every bit as interesting and as talented as people that get all the spotlight on them" That, too, is a good reason to get it into the hands of our students.
STEVEN SCHROEDER Chicago, Illinois
Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas • Volume 38, November 2007
