I received a haul of new books over the holidays. I’m currently devouring the Neil Young biography, Shakey. One that I’m excited about getting into is Pure Country: The Leon Kagarise Archives, 1961-1971. It’s part coffee table page-turner and part country music almanac. A perfect tool for unearthing the long-forgotten, or in my case, an introduction to artists I’ve not been introduced to.

The stunning photography of Leon Kagarise is surrounded by background stories and insight dropped on Ernest Tubb, Ray Davis, Porter Wagoner, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Bill Monroe. “These intimate, $1-a-carload picnic concerts might have been forgotten if not for the documenting eye of music lover Leon Kagarise, whose candid photographs of these legendary performers and their fans provide a unique glimpse into this long vanished world.” Indeed, too often the country genre is muddied by the current state of what’s on the radio and television. It hampers the traditional greatness that the genre holds and, as a result, the legends get lost in translation.

This year, you’ll see a focus on some country late greats on this page. No doubt this book will be a good resource along the way.

Discuss: What are some of your favorite country records? Any other good books on the subject discussed above? Your recommendations and advice is appreciated.

Buy: Pure Country: The Leon Kagarise Archives, 1961-1971