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Summary: This book represents a benchmark for research journalism
Review: "Can't you hear me callin'" doesn't spare the reputation of Mr. Bill Monroe, but it hews close to the journalistic ideal of truth and fairness to all. Those who aspire to a career in research journalism will do well to sit at the feet of Richard D. Smith. The reader will come away with a closer understanding of Bill Monroe and a greater appreciation for his contribution to the arts. Along the way you will meet many of the people of Country Music. This book does a wonderfull job of connecting the dots to reveal the picture.
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Summary: Once in a Blue Moon
Review: a biography comes along that one reads and comes away feeling like they really know the subject...that is certainly true of CAN'T YOU HEAR ME CALLING by Richard D. Smith. Bill Monroe is portrayed in all his glory but also shown as a real person with all the foibles and flaws but also his genius. Living a few miles from his birthpalce Rosine KY I knew of Bill Monroe but until reading this book I had no idea of his many contributions to the music industry. To find he composed many songs that I love but had never connected to Bluegrass (Georgia Rose, Rawhide etc.) was a surprise and makes me anxious to hear more of his music. The author conveyed so well how Bill Monroe the man was a product of a time, a place and a family that so influenced not only his music but also the person he became...one comes way a little more aware of how that is true of all of us.
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Summary: Can't you hear me callin , The life of Bill Monroe
Review: A must have ! This is a informitave and well researched insight into the man who not only mastered the mandolin, but created a completly new and original american artform. If you are a mandolin player, musician or bluegrass fan.you have got to have this one.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating read
Review: Bill Monroe died just a few short years ago, but his legend resonates as much as any of music's most historically lauded figures. His long, rich and turbulent life makes for a fascinating read, and Richard D. Smith's straightforward narrative glistens with detail.
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Summary: A Behind the Scenes Picture of Bill Monroe
Review: I thought I knew alot about Bill Monroe, until I read this book. It shows Mr. Monroe As a real person not a glorified Icon. As an Artist, he was a genius yet his personal life was such a mystery. I could not put this book down. My only concern is that it will not tarnish his memory. In spite of all the book reveals, He was a good man and a true Country Music legend.
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Summary: A very informative biography of Bill Monroe
Review: I thouroughly enjoyed this book. It answered many questions I had about Bill Monroe, and seperated truth from fiction with the use of rare unpublished (prior to now) interviews with former bandmates, aquaintances, family members as well as Bill Monroe himself. All subjects covered here are handled with sensitivity and taste, although not dodging some of the more controversial subjects. I absolutely couldn't put it down, finishing it in two days. It will be a reference guide I'll go back to again and again. A must have for all fans of Bluegrass music, as well as those who may be interested in the origins of a truly American form of music, and the influences it had on many of the current styles of music. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: FINALLY--THE BOOK I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!
Review: I'm glad someone finally wrote an in-depth, interesting biography of one of my favorite people. This book was created out of research and interviews with many, many people who knew Bill. I didn't find that it "tarnished" Bill's memory in any way. It only portrayed him as a human being that we could come to know through the written word. I "knew" Bill from seeing him at countless concerts in the '80s and '90s, and although he didn't know me by name, he always went out-of-his-way to be wonderfully kind to me. I don't forget those things, and I miss him terribly. My biggest regret is that I didn't have the opportunity to know him better, but through this book, it seems I do now. Reading this biography will only reinforce the fact that he was a great music legend, but will also show the reader he was a human being, just like the rest of us. That is so important, because those "stars" are just like us in many, many ways.
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Summary: Well written, compelling, and interesting
Review: I, too, couldn't put the book down, although I have a quibble with the way the author transitioned from one subject to the next in the same way the announcer uses a "teaser" on TV shows to bring viewers back after the break. "But soon Bill would hear the knock of a man whose offer he couldn't refuse" then that'd be the end of that section. A quibble. At any rate, I read the entire thing in one sitting. It definitely humanized the idol and also added shadings to someone who always seems to be portrayed as a stiff, distant man, who always seemed to be able to be clearly viewed in black and white. After reading this, a person realizes that Mr. Monroe was humane and vulnerable. I also liked the fact the author didn't hit too hard how his terrible childhood affected his future life. Just kind of gentley pointed it out to the reader. No pscyhobabble, which is nice in this day and age. The author shied away from making any leaps in logic or pandering to purient gossip.
Rating:
Summary: A Welcome Biography
Review: Monroe was a stubborn and proud man whose legendary status seems to have fended off a three-dimensional biography during his lifetime. It is fortunate that while his memory is still fresh, and while many of the people who knew him best are still alive, that he has been captured, humanized and made accessible in this terrific book. Other than the occasional teaser at the end of a section or paragraph, it is well written, exhaustively researched, and clear. For the musicians, it is technical enough without getting purely scholarly, which would put off those who don't play. The book puts a new and intriguing perspective on Monroe's music and on the development of the bluegrass form. Highly recommended not only to bluegrass fans, but to anyone with an interest in the development of American music in the twentieth century.
Rating: 
Summary: A Major Disappointment - Save Your Money
Review: Smith has done an admirable job of research in Rosine, Nashville, Spartanburg etc., but writes very poorly. I recommend Neil Rosenberg's book "Bluegrass - A History" for anyone who really wants to understand Monroe's place in American music. Smith could have done us a favour by simply publishing the Rinzler interviews which he so liberally uses. Speaking of Rinzler, the mention of his fatal disease is gratuitous, with no bearing on the story.This book could have been so much more. Where is the discography? Where is the list of Blue Grass Boys? Where are set lists? All I learned from this book was about Monroe's women, and even that was poorly written. And he sure walks softly on the topic of Monroe's late-life problems with money and vandalism... he must know more than he is saying.
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