''The Big Ballad Jamboree'' is a novel by the American writer Donald Davidson, written in the 1950s and published posthumously in 1996. The story is set in the summer of 1949 in southwestern

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. It follows the romance between Danny MacGregor, a hillbilly music singer, and Cissy Timberlake, a folk-music scholar and former singer. The novel's principal theme is the conflict between tradition and commercial prospects. Davidson was best known as a poet and ''The Big Ballad Jamboree'' was his only novel.

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

's'' critic wrote: "the novel places a comic spin on the serious subject that Davidson explored as a Fugitive poet and Agrarian essayist: how urbanization can wreak havoc on rural society and the folk arts. ... Although the novel sometimes seems dated (Danny courts Cissie by defending her honor and buying her Cokes), the colloquial speech and concert scenes ring true." George Garrett reviewed the book: "''The Big Ballad Jamboree'' is a light-hearted and (in a musical sense) light-fingered book, balanced, fair-minded, accessible, and clearly intended for a popular audience." Garrett continued: "Davidson clearly loved the land and the cycles and seasons of his homeplace, and that love shines through the descriptions of it. Environmentalists will feel a kinship with the author. Even the novel's strong streak of antifederalism (there's a child named States Rights) may be newly relevant to many readers."

References

External links

Publicity page
at the publisher's website {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Ballad Jamboree Fiction set in 1949 1996 American novels American country music English-language novels Novels about music Novels published posthumously Novels set in the 1940s Novels set in North Carolina Works by Donald Davidson (poet)