Bossmen: Bill Monroe and Muddy Waters

Rating:
Summary: Boss Book
Review: Like countless musician profiles, Bossmen utilizes a standard interview question and answer format; but it's as if Jim Rooney were the first writer to actually hear what these men were saying about their their lives, their art and the cost they paid for their brilliance. The result is an extended conversation with two American icons that reveals far more about each than any work previously or subsequently. Rooney manages to honor the work and the power of the men who created it without lapsing into careless adoration. This is a great book about American music in particular, creativity in general. It was a crime that the work of Muddy Waters and Bill Monroe was neglected for so long and it's a crime that Rooney's book is out of print.