North of 9-Mile Mountain: Grabbing the Heart Out of the Watermelon - Harp, Melton B.
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"North of 9-Mile Mountain: Grabbing the Heart Out of the Watermelon," is a collection of stories, poems, pictures, and songs that celebrate the sweetness of life in small-town America. The book spotlights twenty-five years immediately following the end of World War II, a remarkable time in history called by some, "America's Golden Era." Set on the stage of one small city in semi-arid West Texas, the collection tells of challenges faced by all of America's small towns as they adapt to technological and societal change, and of individuals who were remarkable, not for causing or impeding change,…mehr

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Produktbeschreibung
"North of 9-Mile Mountain: Grabbing the Heart Out of the Watermelon," is a collection of stories, poems, pictures, and songs that celebrate the sweetness of life in small-town America. The book spotlights twenty-five years immediately following the end of World War II, a remarkable time in history called by some, "America's Golden Era." Set on the stage of one small city in semi-arid West Texas, the collection tells of challenges faced by all of America's small towns as they adapt to technological and societal change, and of individuals who were remarkable, not for causing or impeding change, but for their every-day contributions to the sweetness of life in their community. Readers may find descriptions of life, events, and characters offered here echoed in the histories of their own hometowns, wherever those towns are located. Readers will, perhaps, remember individuals in the in their own lives who, like the characters included here, were ordinary folks who left extraordinary legacies of community service. The stories picture the rugged beauty of the West Texas Callahan Divide country and tough realities of location, wind, and weather. They tell of gentle but determined spirits of West Texas people in poetic and musical tales of courage, resilience, accomplishment, and warm West Texas laughter. And they recount life lessons that transcend the environmental threats, economic chaos, international and societal tensions of the twenty-first century to offer hope for our uncertain future. Thirty-two original songs (notated in standard lead-sheet format with text, melodies, and chords) are integrated into the narratives, functioning much like the choruses in Greek drama. Forty-two illustrations include original pen and ink drawings by Jackson Fowler, miscellaneous other art artwork, and historic photographs. The work is based on actual characters and events, and it contains a good deal of factual material. In addition, the author has included pieces of fiction to complete portrayals of persons, the time period, and small town life. Upon hearing the songs, one listener commented: "'Nine-Mile Mountain Morning' and 'One Day Closer to the Rain'...are both prayers as old as the first settlers in our part of the country-and as late as this very morning." Professional guitarist, Sam Swank, said of "Silver Heels: " "Who wouldn't feel happy after hearing a song like that?" And singer/songwriter Bill Staines (called by "Yankee Magazine: "..."One of the 80 gifts New England has given to America) said of Mel's song, "Sweetwater Saddle," "This is a very good song if not a great song." "Read it, tell it, sing it-there is much more to the small towns of West Texas," the author says, "than just dwindling populations, wind, oil wells, and rattlesnakes!"
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Autorenporträt
A native Texan, Mel Harp spent his childhood and teenage years in Sweetwater, Texas and after earning a bachelor's degree in Music-Education returned to the town to teach choral music and drama at his alma mater. Mel later completed a Master of Arts in Music and Theater at West Texas A&M University (then West Texas State University, ) and a Doctor of Musical Arts in the Literature and Performance of Choral Music at the University of Colorado-Boulder. During his years of teaching in public schools, Mel also directed church choirs and performed as an actor/singer in outdoor drama productions or the Pioneer Amphitheater, Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas. As a member of the faculty at Nebraska Wesleyan University, and later the Conservatory of Music and Dance, University of Missouri-Kansas City performed as an opera, oratorio, and chamber music soloist, sang as paid chorister for three seasons with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City; conducted and directed European concert tours of the Missouri Youth Chorale/Mid-America Youth Chorale; and taught choral music-education, graduate choral literature, and conducting classes at UMKC. Upon his return to Texas, Mel found a new avenue of expression as a singer/songwriter and member of the Americana groups Song Writers of the Llano and Sweetwater Medicine Wagon. Mel honed his songwriting skills in dozens of workshops under such prominent professionals as Bill Staines, Tom Prasada-Rao, Tom Kimmel, John Ims, Steve Gillette, Jack Williams, Wil Maring, and others. As an adjunct instructor, Harp team-taught Introduction to Songwriting at Texas Tech University along with his friend and mentor, Andy Wilkinson, an award-winning singer/songwriter, poet, and playwright.