Preview: A Conversation with David Menconi
I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be taking part in a livestream conversation with author David Menconi (Oh, Didn’t They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music) this coming Friday. Here are the details from the press release:
For more than fifty years, Rounder has been the world’s leading label for folk music of all kinds. David Menconi’s book is the label’s definitive history, drawing on previously untapped archives and extensive interviews with artists, Rounder staff, and founders Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy, and Bill Nowlin. Rounder’s founders blended ingenuity and independence with serendipity and an unfailing belief in the small-d democratic power of music to connect and inspire people, forging creative partnerships that resulted in one of the most eclectic and creative catalogs in the history of recorded music. Placing Rounder in the company of similarly influential labels like Stax, Motown, and Blue Note, this story is destined to delight anyone who cares about the place of music in American culture.
Music critic and journalist David Menconi spent twenty-eight years as staff writer at the Raleigh News and Observer. His most recent book was Step It Up and Go: The Story of North Carolina Popular Music, from Blind Boy Fuller and Doc Watson to Nina Simone and Superchunk, winner of the 2021 North Caroliniana Book Award.
Speaker, presenter, and author Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays) and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock ‘n’ Roll at UNC Asheville’s College for Seniors. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd, was published in 2018. His third title, What’s the Big Idea will be published in 2024.
This live streamed virtual event is free but registration is required.
Please click here to register. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.
My review of the book will run tomorrow on Musoscribe.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.