{"title":"Karl Du Fresne","description":"\u003cp\u003eKarl Du Fresne’s works delve into the vibrant intersections of arts and culture, offering insightful explorations that engage both the curious and the knowledgeable reader. His writing often takes readers on unique journeys, such as examining the stories behind American song titles, revealing unexpected connections between music and cultural history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Du Fresne brings to life the nuances of cultural phenomena through accessible and thought-provoking narratives. Readers can expect a rich blend of research and reflection that illuminates the arts in fresh and compelling ways.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-road-tour-of-american-song-titles-by-karl-du-fresne-9781869539382","title":"A Road Tour of American Song Titles","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike most New Zealand kids in the 1960s, Karl du Fresne grew up listening to songs about American towns and cities: Kansas City, El Paso, New Orleans, Detroit and Tulsa, to name just a few. He found himself wondering what sort of places they were and what had motivated such illustrious pop composers as Jimmy Webb, Hal David, Neil Sedaka and Chuck Berry to write about them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA career journalist, former musician and keen amateur musicologist, he eventually decided to find out for himself. Thus was launched a serial pilgrimage that took him to 24 towns and cities, from Abilene to Wichita and Memphis to Mendocino. Each chapter in \u003cem\u003eA Road Tour of American Song Titles\u003c\/em\u003e is devoted to a specific hit song and the town that inspired it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDu Fresne combines information about the songs - who wrote them (and why), who recorded them, how well they did on the pop charts - with often quirky personal observations about the places themselves and the characters he encountered there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe explores the rich musical connections of cities such as New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville and Detroit and describes detours to out-of-the-way places such as the gospel church in the Louisiana Delta where a young Jerry Lee Lewis performed for the first time, the Tallahatchie bridge made famous in Bobbie Gentry's 'Ode to Billie Joe' and the lonely Mississippi graveyard where the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson lies buried under a pecan tree.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68026451165420,"sku":"9781869539382","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781869539382-a-road-tour-of-american-song-titles-1.jpg?v=1793575716"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/karl-du-fresne.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}