A Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville 1945-1955
by Martin Hawkins
Category: Business & Economics

A SHOT IN THE DARK describes the formation and the activities of local, independent, recording companies in Nashville in the 10 years after WWII, the very heyday of reigional companies, before rock & roll and the eventual internationalization of the music business. These labels and their owners evolved from the local jukebox and amusements business and other small elements of the small business community. They often featured truly local performers; they sometimes aspired to national status; and occasionally they achieved it. The book also describes the infrastructure they worked within and the personal stories of the main label owners and their performers. Finally, it examines the part the labels played in the emergence of Nashville as Music City.