Producing Country

"Producing Country doesn't seek to answer so much as to enlighten, with plenty of behind-the-scenes stories from the recording sessions that gave us a big chunk of our Nashville soundtrack. ... [L]ots of folks (interviewed in the book) offer wisdom on ways to enhance artistry, solve problems, encourage ingenuity, manage technology and motivate a roomful of disparate creative spirits. It's hard to say exactly what a producer is, but those are all things that a producer does."—Peter Cooper, The Tennessean

"This is a very readable and informative oral history of the evolution of country music recording. Few books have delved into the role that record producers have played in country music, and fewer still have allowed the record producers themselves to talk about the nuances of their recording processes in such revealing and fascinating detail."—Paul Kingsbury, editor of The Encyclopedia of Country Music and Will the Circle Be Unbroken

"Works as a partial history of the changing dimension of recorded sound, from its origins as a 'record' of a particular performance to a sonic environment, aural sculpture in the hands of skilled producers and engineers."—David Luhrssen, Shepherd Express-Milwaukee Entertainment Magazine

"Jarrett's ethnography is to be praised for the wealth and breadth of its coverage, raising the volume of voices seldom heard."—Tom Greenland, Journal of Folklore Research

"In its approach to writing the history of country music recordings, Producing Country offers an interesting alternative to dry academic texts."—J. Farrington, Choice

"Jarrett's study opens the sound-proofed door of the control room where the pilots, chariot drivers, overseers—whatever you call them—steered the recording sessions that defined popular music. It's an impressive gathering of producers that unlocks the secrets of making records."—Michael Streissguth, author of Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris and the Renegades of Nashville

"Jarrett has interviewed a cross section of country music producers. The interviews are relatively short, and focus on specific albums or songs. The interested reader can grasp the various styles of production and how they have evolved over the years. Overall this is a well-written guide to the way records have been made in Nashville, from around 1945 to the present day."—Portland Book Review

"Michael Jarrett's large body of interviews with producers from the country music field is an extremely valuable addition to music history. The large scope of the book—including producers of archival country anthologies (i.e., the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers), to classic country and western of the '40 and'60s, to mainstream country from the '70s to today, to Americana/alternative country (including 1950s rockabilly and the 1960s-70s hybrid of country soul)—makes it an important tool for understanding the creation of some of C&W's classic records by its most outstanding artists. In addition, Producing Country provides evidence of the wide scope of country music, its changes in sounds and musical impact over nearly 90 years. Quite an achievement!"—Holly George-Warren, author of Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry

"Jarrett's book is valuable because it illuminates an exciting process that for too long has been veiled by industry protocol and ignored because of public indifference. Producing Country should inspire other scholars to look more deeply and more broadly into 'the inside story' of country music."—Ted Olson, American Studies (AMSJ)

"You would look long and hard to find a more readable contribution to the cultural studies, or country music, canon."—Tim Holmes, Record Collector Magazine

"Producing Country doesn't seek to answer so much as to enlighten, with plenty of behind-the-scenes stories from the recording sessions that gave us a big chunk of our Nashville soundtrack. [L]ots of folks (interviewed in the book) offer wisdom on ways to enhance artistry, solve problems, encourage ingenuity, manage technology and motivate a roomful of disparate creative spirits. It's hard to say exactly what a producer is, but those are all things that a producer does."—Peter Cooper, The Tennessean

"[Producing Country] really tells the story of the history of country music from the other side of the glass."—Eric Banister, Music Tomes

"This is a very readable and informative oral history of the evolution of country music recording. Few books have delved into the role that record producers have played in country music, and fewer still have allowed the record producers themselves to talk about the nuances of their recording processes in such revealing and fascinating detail."—Paul Kingsbury, editor of The Encyclopedia of Country Music and Will the Circle Be Unbroken

"Michael Jarrett's large body of interviews with producers from the country music field is an extremely valuable addition to music history. The large scope of the book—including producers of archival country anthologies (i.e., the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers), to classic country and western of the '40 and'60s, to mainstream country from the '70s to today, to Americana/alternative country (including 1950s rockabilly and the 1960s-70s hybrid of country soul)—makes it an important tool for understanding the creation of some of C&W's classic records by its most outstanding artists. In addition, Producing Country provides evidence of the wide scope of country music, its changes in sounds and musical impact over nearly 90 years. Quite an achievement!"—Holly George-Warren, author of Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry

"Jarrett's study opens the sound-proofed door of the control room where the pilots, chariot drivers, overseers—whatever you call them—steered the recording sessions that defined popular music. It's an impressive gathering of producers that unlocks the secrets of making records."—Michael Streissguth, author of Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris and the Renegades of Nashville