The Americana and roots music authority

musicians who do more than just make music

Kim had a post today about Neko Case doing a photography show and it made me wonder....

Steve Earle wrote a really good book and Dylan's Chronicles I thought read extremely well. Lennon was a poet and an artist. And an actor. Peter Himmelman makes really fine art and little videos. Ron Wood recently had his art shown somewhere. Kenny Rogers and Vanilla Ice both have overseen home remodels as a source of income and of course Willie Nelson is an every day golfer. Tony Bennett and Red Skelton are/were painters.

So you get the idea. Who else?

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Permalink Reply by steviedal on November 4, 2010 at 3:40pm

Crikey - i thought Steve earle's book was bloody rubbish . But i've still got it and maybe i'll give it another go , your tastes change over the years !
Dave Alvin wrote some good prose in his time and then there's all those books by Henry Rollins . Thousands more.........

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Permalink Reply by Easy Ed on November 4, 2010 at 3:43pm

well the cover was kind of nice.

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Permalink Reply by Jack Williams on November 4, 2010 at 4:08pm

I think Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobies) has some kind of mathematical expertise having to do with Nuclear Weapons/War Games or something.

Doesn't Phil Alvin have a PhD in Mathematics?

Thought Patti Smith's and Rosanne Cash's books were excellent.

I think Alice Cooper is an excellent golfer.

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Permalink Reply by Jack Williams on November 4, 2010 at 4:10pm

Oh, and then there's John Starling (Seldom Scene, Carolina Star). He's a doctor. Ear,Nose and Throat, maybe?

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Permalink Reply by Elvis Fontenot on November 4, 2010 at 4:12pm

Robbie Fulks writes in a quite intellectual way, in a sort of Thomas Hardy-esque manner. Otis Gibbs is a good photographer - the English accordionist Andy Cutting is well-known for his interest in cooking....

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Permalink Reply by Kyla Fairchild on November 4, 2010 at 4:22pm

Wesley Stace, who performs under the name John Wesley Harding, has written two acclaimed novels. Misfortune and By George.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Sheets on November 4, 2010 at 4:22pm

Dylan also paints and had a few poems published in The New Yorker.

Mellencamp is a painter who has had his work shown several times over the years at major galleries (Ed, you might enjoy them more than his music).

Marty Stuart has taken some great photographs.

Joe Grushecky, who was the former leader of the Iron City Houserockers and has went on to a damn good solo career is a schoolteacher by day.

Elvis, Sinatra, and many others have acted over the years, with Dean Martin and Kris Kristofferson in particular ranking among the elite actors.

At least one of Steve Martin's interests is in bluegrass music and, as you all well know, he is a great comedian, actor, and has also written several novels and plays. Not sure that's what you're looking for, but figured I'd mention it.

I recall reading somewhere that Jimmy Buffett has written a few novels although I have no more interest in them than I do in his muzak.

Al Green is still the Pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle and the next time I'm in Memphis, I'm going to one of their services.

Jimmie Davis, of course, was the Governor of Louisiana.

And then there's Rosanne Cash who has written some short stories I believe.

Rob Zombie has directed several horror films.

And although you mentioned Kenny Rogers, you missed out on his most well-known endeavor outside of music: the chicken.

Jimmy Dean, the famous country singer and sausage maker.

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Permalink Reply by David Shaw on November 4, 2010 at 4:33pm

Tom Russell wrote a novel that I've yet to see in English yet (I think it was published in Norway) amd may be working on a book about Charles Bukowski.

John Lennon wrote two books of poetry while in the Beatles (In His Own Write and Spaniard in the Works).

Leonard Cohen has written several books of poetry and at least two novels in addition to his musical output.

Ian Tyson has just had a book of memoirs published.

The late Paul Quarrington wrote a number of novels, plays, non-fiction works and a posthumous memoir in addition to a parallel career in music. He won a Leacock Award and a Governor General's award for a couple of his novels. His first solo album came out posthumously this year.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Sheets on November 4, 2010 at 4:36pm

I forgot Leonard Cohen's books. Beautiful Losers was a great one. Gil Scott-Heron has also written several novels, the most notable among them being Vultures and The Nigger Factory. I read somewhere that he's currently working on one about Stevie Wonder and Martin Luther King.