Browsing: book

Cary Baker Writes the Definitive History of Street Music

“This book wrote itself,” says Cary Baker about ‘Down On The Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music.’ Reflecting on life’s transitions — from closing his PR firm to moving to the desert — he delves into the colorful, often untold stories of buskers, from icons like Elvis Costello to street performers like Grandpa Elliott.

He discusses his deep love for the written word, recounts a remarkable tale of Mick Jagger thanking Ramblin’ Jack Elliott for playing in a subway station during a school field trip, and more. It’s these serendipitous moments that make both Baker’s book and his career truly unique.

‘Down On The Corner: Adventures in Busking and Street Music’ by Cary Baker Tells Complete History of Street Singers

First book by music industry veteran Cary Baker traces development of blues, doo-wop, folk and even jazz and classical music on the streets. Features interviews with Lucinda Williams, Billy Bragg, Violent Femmes, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Mary Lou Lord, Peter Case, Poi Dog Pondering, Madeleine Peyroux, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mojo Nixon, Satan & Adam, and more, plus eyewitnesses of busking through two centuries.

The Robert Johnson Few People Knew

If Robert Johnson had lived long enough to play Carnegie Hall, renowned musicologist Scott Ainslie thinks we would have had rock and roll 10 years earlier than we did.

The Day The Music Died Lives on in Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’

McLean has referred to the song as “an indescribable photograph of America that I tried to capture in words and music.” He is currently on a 50th Anniversary American World Pie World Tour that has him booked into 67 venues, and he’s also just released a children’s book called ‘American Pie: A Fable.’