Books by "David B. Alden"
2 books found
Guy Wheelock Edwards once remarked to his mother that he wished he were able to publish his poetry. His brother, Ralph Burris Wheelock opined that he was not blessed as a poet. Both brothers showed a poetic gift. This volume is both a memorial and a testament to their muse. Guy Wheelock suffered from rheumatic fever as a teenager and was never very healthy after that. However, he worked hard to provide for his family, putting his hand and his mind to many different tasks, from share-crop farming to making sorghum molasses to Swedish massage. It is said he had healing hands but never charged for his services. He and his wife, Miranda, raised their ten children on their Iowa farm. For leisure they would gather around the piano and sing hymns and recite poetry. Guy created his own instruments and played a hand-crafted guitar. He wrote poetry largely for his own enjoyment and to the delight of his children. Four of his sons served in World War II, two of them at the Battle of the Bulge. One, Robert, was killed in combat and was awarded a Silver Star for bravery after he saved his troop from a German tank. Guy was deeply affected by the war and many of his poems reflect his anguish over the war and the loss of his son. Ralph Burris Wheelock served as a minister in the Congregational church. When he passed away, his church published a small memorial booklet containing a few of Rev. Edwards' poems. The book continues with the poetry of David Wheelock Edwards, grandson of Guy, with the works of Kathy Latusick, a granddaughter, Ron Hildreth, grandson-in-law, and Kristina Ferguson, great-granddaughter, showcasing that The Edwards Muse is a generational talent, passed on through the family.
Young People's Records and Children's Record Guild were the first commercially significant record clubs in the world. By applying proven book club methods to the field of phonograph records, these two related companies attracted some hundred thousand subscribers at their peak and serviced perhaps a million members in their existence. Revolutionizing Children's Records: The Young People's Records and Children's Record Guild Series, 1946-1977 tells the history of YPR/CRG, explaining how these two labels intersected important developments in the histories of mass marketing, recording technology, educational philosophy, folk music, contemporary composition, and Cold War politics. David Bonner covers in detail the history of YPR/CRG, tracing its influences back to the beginnings of music education in the 19th Century and incorporating the impact of the American folk music revival on music educators. The narrative follows the career paths of the company principals, such as its progressive founder Horace Grenell; the musicians who recorded for him, like American folk music revival pioneer Tom Glazer; and the record industry offshoots they created in the process. Bonner considers advances the club made in recording technology as the first record label devoted exclusively to "unbreakable" vinyl discs and provides a comprehensive summary of record club marketing, including the application of "music appreciation" to phonograph records. He also charts the commercial, critical, and political response to these endeavors, including an historical footnote to the "Red Scare" unavailable in existing Cold War literature. A complete and detailed discography listing every YPR and CRG recording, including all known writers and performers, concludes this excellent reference for scholars, nostalgists, and phonographic fanatics.