{"product_id":"reinventing-dixie-john-bush-jones-9780807159446","title":"Reinventing Dixie: Tin Pan Alley's Songs and the Creation of the Mythic South","description":"\u003cp\u003eTin Pan Alley, once New York City's songwriting and recording mecca, issued more than a thousand songs about the American South in the first half of the twentieth century. In \u003ci\u003eReinventing Dixie\u003c\/i\u003e, John Bush Jones explores the broad impact of these songs in creating and disseminating the imaginary view of the South as a land of southern belles, gallant gentlemen, and racial harmony. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn profiles of Tin Pan Alley's lyricists and composers, Jones explains how a group of undereducated and untraveled writers--the vast majority of whom were urban northerners or European immigrants-- constructed the specific and detailed images of the South used in their song lyrics. In the process of evaluating the origins of Tin Pan Alley's songbook, Jones analyzes these songwriters' attitudes about North-South reconciliation, ideals of honor and hospitality, and the recurring theme of the yearning for home. Though a few of the songs employed parody or satire to undercut the vision of a peaceful, romantic South, the majority ignored the realities of racism and poverty in the region. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy the end of Tin Pan Alley's era of cultural prominence in the mid-twentieth century, Jones contends that the work of its writers had cemented the \"moonlight and magnolias\" myth in the minds of millions of Americans. \u003ci\u003eReinventing Dixie\u003c\/i\u003e sheds light on the role of songwriters in forming an idyllic vision of the South that continues to influence the American imagination.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Bush Jones\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0807159441\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780807159446\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e LSU Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/16\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.28lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.36h x 6.03w x 1.09d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2015","brand":"John Bush Jones","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43947253334271,"sku":"9780807159446","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_bc4fc062-cc2d-4f9c-af02-b5af3148f4d4.jpg?v=1681517620","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/reinventing-dixie-john-bush-jones-9780807159446","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}