The first book devoted entirely to women in bluegrass, Pretty Good for a Girl documents the lives of more than seventy women whose vibrant contributions to the development of bluegrass have been, for the most part, overlooked. Accessibly written and organized by decade, the book begins with Sally Ann Forrester, who played accordion and sang with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys from 1943 to 1946, and continues into the present with artists such as Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, and the Dixie Chicks. Drawing from extensive interviews, well-known banjoist Murphy Hicks Henry gives voice to women performers and innovators throughout bluegrass's history, including such pioneers as Bessie Lee Mauldin, Wilma Lee Cooper, and Roni and Donna Stoneman; family bands including the Lewises, Whites, and McLains; and later pathbreaking performers such as the Buffalo Gals and other all-girl bands, Laurie Lewis, Lynn Morris, Missy Raines, and many others.
| Cover Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgments Introduction IN THE BEGINNING: THE 1940s Sally Ann Forrester Wilma Lee Cooper Rose Maddox Ola Belle Campbell Reed THE SECOND DECADE: THE 1950s Bessie Lee Mauldin Vallie Cain Grace French The Lewis Family: Miggie, Polly, Janis The Stonemans: Patsy, Donna Roni Margie Sullivan THE NUMBERS ARE GROWING: THE 1960s Jeanie West Betty Amos with Judy and Jean Gloria Belle Hazel and Alice Dottie Eyler Vivian Williams Bettie Buckland Rubye Davis Ginger Boatwright The Whites: Pat, Sharon, Cheryl, Rosie Wendy Thatcher Martha Adcock The McLain Family: Alice, Ruth, Nancy Ann THE FLOODGATES OPEN: THE 1970s Beck Gentry Suzanne Thomas Delia Bell Buffalo Gals Betty Fisher Katie Laur Dede Wyland Lynn Morris The Women in California Laurie Lewis Kathy Kallick Claire Lynch Lee Ann Lenker Baber LEADERS OF THE BAND: THE 1980s Missy Raines Alison Brown All-Female Bands Alison Krauss TOO MANY TO COUNT: THE 1990s AND BEYOND Kristin Scott Benson Rhonda Vincent The Dixie Chicks Cherryholmes Conclusion: Not Just Pretty Good for a Girl! Sources Bibliography Author Interviews and Emails Index | Distinguished Achievement Award, International Bluegrass Musical Association (IBMA), 2015. — Distinguished Achievement Award, International Bluegrass Musical Association (IBMA)
|Murphy Hicks Henry is a professional banjo player, teacher, and writer living in Virginia. She founded the Women in Bluegrass newsletter and has written regularly for Bluegrass Unlimited and Banjo Newsletter. She is also the co-creator of The Murphy Method, a series of instructional videos on playing the banjo and other bluegrass instruments.