We just received a copy of a new book coming out titled Honky Tonk: Portraits of Country Music. The book features dozens of vintage photos of various legendary country music stars, venues, and more. See the full Press Release for the book below for more information!
Honky Tonk
Portraits of Country Music
By Henry Horenstein
Foreword by Eddie Stubbs
“Henry Horenstein’s wonderful black-and-white photographs of country music are full of love, energy, and respect…we can almost hear the beautiful music that inspired him.”
–Mary Ellen Mark, photographer
Some say the 1970s were the last great decade of country music. Those were the years between the plaid jackets, pomade, and goofy hillbilly jokes of traditional 1950s country music and the more polished Nashville “Urban Cowboy” sound, with its polyester, rhinestones, and miniskirts. In HONKY TONK: Portraits of Country Music (W. W. Norton & Company; September 3, 2012; $50.00 hardcover), photographer Henry Horenstein captures it all, in 120 gritty and joyful black-and-white photographs, from the roadside seediness of TJ’s Lounge, to the backstage glamour at Grand Ole Opry’s Ryman Auditorium.
In between was a world of bluegrass festivals, country music parks, and of course the honky tonks and dance halls that raised generations of musicians. On the dance floor at places like The Broken Spoke, Lone Star Ranch, and the Bearcat Lounge, people caught the rhythm of this music of “three chords and the truth.” And not just in the South—Horenstein, a New Englander, caught many of the great country stars in New Hampshire and Boston. But with the advent of suburbia and home entertainment, the honky-tonk culture was fast disappearing.
You’ll find Dolly Parton, Del McCoury, Maybelle Carter, and many other country legends in these pages. Ralph Stanley sits with his banjo on his home hearth, under a stuffed deer and two shotguns. Doc Watson strums guitar on a flowered armchair backstage in Cambridge. Beer on the stage, autographed pant legs, a waitress with a tray of potato chips and Slim Jims. And everywhere, devoted fans show their love, hanging around until last call, dancing in the aisles, or crowding the tour bus.
But Honky Tonk is not a nostalgic time capsule. Happily, Horenstein’s forty-year career puts him in the front row to witness the resurgence of classic bluegrass and traditional country styles of Bill Monroe, Charlie Pride, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Old New City Ramblers right through today. In this expanded edition, Horenstein builds on his iconic 1970s and 80s photographs, originally published in paperback form, with images from more recent years. That makes Honky Tonk both the definitive monograph of Horenstein’s work—and a celebration of this priceless living legacy of American music.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Henry Horenstein is the author of more than thirty books, including the monographs Show, Animalia, Close Relations, Humans, and Racing Days, as well as some of the most widely used textbooks in the field, including Black & White Photography, Beyond Basic Photography, and Digital Photography. He is a professor of photography at the Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Visit www.horenstein.com to learn more.
TITLE: HONKY TONK: Portraits of Country Music
AUTHOR: Henry Horenstein
PUBLICATION DATE: September 3, 2012
PRICE: $50.00 hardcover
ISBN 978-0-393-07366-9