The debut book by Jewly Hight focuses on compelling voices in contemporary American roots music - Lucinda Williams, Julie Miller, Victoria Williams, Michelle Shocked, Mary Gauthier, Ruthie Foster, Elizabeth Cook and Abigail Washburn - exploring their changing relationships to their roots in culture, place, family and spirituality, and what drives their artistic expression.
MARCH 1, 2011
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS
"Jewly Hight's conversations with eight of America's best singer-songwriters yield fascinating insights into these gifted artists' creative process and such personal subjects as their spiritual beliefs. An intriguing read!" - Holly George-Warren, author of Public Cowboy #1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry and coauthor of The Road to Woodstock
"...makes a case for why the voices of these women speak to those of us who keep returning to their music for sustenance and inspiration." - Bill Friskics-Warren, The Washington Post, The New York Times and author of I'll Take You There: Pop Music & the Urge for Transcendence
"As incisive and insightful as the women she profiles, Jewly Hight has filled these pages with remarkable, creative portraits of remarkable, creative people." - Peter Cooper, The Tennessean
"Right By Her Roots establishes Jewly Hight as one of the Americana scene's sharpest writers." - Juli Thanki, senior writer at The 9513
"...Jewly Hight is a dream come true for the songwriters to whom she pays careful and affectionate heed...Prepare to be enriched by this culturally crucial account." - David Dark, author The Sacredness of Questioning Everything