It’s the tenth anniversary of The Oxford American Southern Music Issue and to celebrate we’ve scoured the region for enough musical riches to fill TWO groovin’ CDs. Our special birthday edition celebrates the unstoppable force that defines the South: inventive melodic expression. It may be that in a place where money has never grown on the proverbial trees, people focus on the simpler rewards of writing and song. We are lucky to inhabit a soulful region that is teeming with overlooked (or flat-out forgotten) masterpieces—what else can we do but discover, enjoy, and share them?
In addition to a whopping FIFTY-FIVE party tunes (spanning musical genres and eras—blues, rock & roll, soul, garage rock, and more), the issue is packed with exuberant and daring writing by some of the best writers in the country. We’ll be updating the website every week in December with feature articles, multimedia extravaganzas, Marc Smirnoff’s online-only Liner Notes, interviews, and holiday offers (a gift-wrapped package stuffed with our latest, all-new goodies—the Music Issue, The OA Book of Great Music Writing, a stylish T-shirt, and a one-year subscription, all delivered before Dec. 25).
The issue will be available in bookstores and on newsstands by December 5.
