A Friend of the Devil: The Glorification of the Outlaw in Song: from Robin Hood to Rap Paperback – September 1, 2017

Ya know how when you read a good book ya don't want it to end? I'm a slow reader, like to savor passages and reread them, but i finished A FRIEND OF THE DEVIL last night. Mr. Kruth - i so enjoyed your wit and humor, both sly (understated) and obvious. It's an intelligent and very well researched treatise worthy of at least a PhD thesis. And i loved your putdown of Billy Joel early on. Made me laugh out loud. I knew many of the songs you dealt with but it was refreshing to read about them from your angle. There were also many songs that you referenced and artists that i was not familiar with, so I thank you for the education.

You could think of this work as a series of essays on different facets of the topic of outlaw songs. In each chapter, the author builds a theme and then takes a stroll through an astonishingly diverse set of historical and musical references before somehow always finding his way back onto the track. It could have been a dry scholarly treatise or a rambling stream of consciousness but it is neither. I can’t imagine anyone interested in either history or music not being entertained and educated.

Added to the FURSTWURLD community (Joshua Tree, CA) library !

Quick, fun read. Really does tackle outlaw songs from old-timey folk to delta blues to hard rock to rap.

Everyone digs outlaws it seems. Or at least the image of the outlaw. Guys, girls, movie directors, and authors. However, it would seem that songwriters are the biggest fans. Popular music of all genres celebrates the outlaw life: just think of your favorite ten tunes or so, and there is probably an outlaw at the heart of at least some of them.John Kruth dives deep into the tales of men — and women — on the wrong side of the law in his book, beginning with Robin Hood and English folk music. Likewise, he demonstrates that blues and country music also extol the Wild West tales of Billy the Kid and Jesse James, and gangsters such as Dillinger, and Bonnie and Clyde. The transformative jump to R&B, rock & roll, reggae, and eventually hip-hop and rap music is a given.Kruth’s book investigates these and many, many more songs, and the continuum that links them all is fascinating. Everyone, it seems, loves a good outlaw tale, and the storytelling tradition in song continues to grow. You can read the this review in its entirety at allmusicbooks(dot)com. After all, as Danny O’ Keefe, the songwriter of “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” neatly sums up: “You can’t be an outlaw when you’re not wanted anymore.”

Very interesting topic and when the author focuses he has fascinating things to discuss.Overall superficial,poorly organized and edited;had a slap dash qualityand for the price not much value.

"A Friend of the Devil" by John Kruth is an eye opening journey into the mind and psyche of history's "bad boy" what we coincided "the outlaw." A man free from the norms of everyday life and the constraights of the law, The outlaw has captured the imaginations of songwriters for centuries and some of our greatest songs have come from the songwriter incorporating words and music into some of the greatest folklore ever told. It weaves information and interviews through years of modern day narratives and puts it all in perspective.

A comprehensive guide through a very specific aspect of music history and songwriting. The writing style is clear and informative. I was introduced to lots of great music and it also covered some well known songs I was familiar with. There's sure to be some bits of history that you might not have picked up on before too. Well worth the read!