Carter Family story as graphic novel

07 Sep 12 - 10:39 PM (#3401561)
Subject: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: Desert Dancer

The Carter Family: Don't Forget This Story, a graphic novel by Frank M. Young and David Lasky, is completed and will go on sale sometime this month. It's available for pre-order at Amazon.com (but remember to use one of the Mudcat links to Amazon).

Here's the publisher's blurb:

The Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song is a rich and compelling original graphic novel that tells the story of the Carter Family—the first superstar group of country music—who made hundreds of recordings and sold millions of records. Many of their hit songs, such as "Wildwood Flower" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," have influenced countless musicians and remain timeless country standards.

The Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song is not only a unique illustrated biography, but a moving account that reveals the family's rise to success, their struggles along the way, and their impact on contemporary music. Illustrated with exacting detail and written in the Southern dialect of the time, its dynamic narrative is pure Americana. It is also a story of success and failure, of poverty and wealth, of racism and tolerance, of creativity and business, and of the power of music and love.

Includes bonus CD with original Carter Family music.

My first link above is to the writers' blog about the book, which has pictures and a video to give you more of an idea about it.

(I think it was a Southern Folklife Collection Facebook post that alerted me to this.)

~ Becky in Tucson

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09 Sep 12 - 07:27 PM (#3402220)
Subject: RE: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: Desert Dancer

refresh

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10 Sep 12 - 06:19 AM (#3402331)
Subject: RE: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: GUEST,Hootenanny

I trust that this comic is aimed at children is that correct?
as the definitive story of the Carter Family has already been published ten years ago complete with photographs.

Hoot.

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10 Sep 12 - 07:23 PM (#3402525)
Subject: RE: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: GUEST,gillymor

Thanks for the heads up and the link, DD. I love these things. R. Crumb did some graphic pieces on some of the old country blues guys which were great.

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10 Sep 12 - 11:18 PM (#3402616)
Subject: RE: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: Martha Burns

No, it's not for kids. It's for adults. And it's gorgeous. You don't think of comics this way, but the rich colors and sharp lines are very effective.

This was funded through Kickstarter.com, and you can still see the video that the authors made describing their project to prospective contributors. It's at THIS LINK.

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11 Sep 12 - 11:56 AM (#3402838)
Subject: RE: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: Desert Dancer

Yes, gillymor and Martha have it. It's just another way of telling (and illustrating) the story, Hoot. Not for everyone, probably. But it does look like a beautiful book for those who appreciate the format. R. Crumb's work on old-time and early jazz musician's is a good comparison, except that he worked straight from photographs, I believe. Since this is a graphic novel, the illustrations involve imagined scenes, as well.

~ Becky in Tucson

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11 Sep 12 - 05:39 PM (#3403018)
Subject: RE: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: GUEST,Hootenanny

Well Becky,
I am sorry but I can't agree with you. I have appreciated Crumb's work for years and to compare the childish drawings shown in the link above to the work of Crumb is preposterous. I of course haven't read the book it doesn't appeal to me one bit as I prefer factual information based on research rather than a novel particulary one with illustrations that appear to be aimed at kids.

Hoot

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11 Sep 12 - 08:16 PM (#3403094)
Subject: RE: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: GUEST,gillymor

Nice vid, thanks.

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02 Nov 12 - 01:55 AM (#3429746)
Subject: RE: Carter Family story as graphic novel
From: Desert Dancer

Here's a review at Folkworks.org.

~ Becky in Long Beach

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