Earlier this month I had the privilege and pleasure to speak at the Meighan Forum at the Stratford Festival. Since the Q&A was not captured in the transcript, I thought I’d reflect on a couple of the questions here. – Diane Ragsdale
Harry Burleigh and Cultural Appropriation – Take Two
Zora Neale Hurston Hurston heard concert spirituals “squeezing all of the rich black juice out of the songs,” a “flight from blackness,” a “musical octoroon.” She listed Harry Burleigh among the offenders. But without Burleigh there would be no “Deep River” as sung by Marian Anderson. – Joe Horowitz
Lisa Rich: There Was A Delay
In the 1980s the singer Lisa Rich seemed on her way to a long and successful career, and she recorded Highwire in 1987. For reasons not disclosed by Tritone Records, the album was not released for 32 years — until now. – Doug Ramsey
Amazon Is Opening A Physical Bookstore Right Across The Street From Ann Patchett’s Nashville Indie
But, an opinion writer says, Nashville needs to remember what’s important. “Independent bookstores don’t operate according to the normal rules of capitalism. They aren’t trying to beat each other. They aren’t even trying to beat Amazon. They’re creating communities — cozy places to beat the heat or come in from the cold.” (Amazon? Is not cozy.) – The New York Times