Paul Burch with Peter Guralnick: Meridian Rising, 26 September | Event in Brookline | AllEvents

Paul Burch with Peter Guralnick: Meridian Rising

Brookline Booksmith

Highlights

Fri, 26 Sep, 2025 at 07:00 pm

1 hour

Brookline Booksmith

Starting at USD 0

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Date & Location

Fri, 26 Sep, 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm (GMT-04:00)

Brookline Booksmith

279 Harvard Street, Brookline, United States

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About the event

Paul Burch with Peter Guralnick: Meridian Rising
Read on for important details for this Brookline Booksmith event.

About this Event


Join us at Brookline Booksmith to celebrate the release of Meridian Rising with author Paul Burch, in conversation with Peter Guralnick. This event is cosponsored by the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame.

Register for the event!
RSVP to let us know you're coming! Depending on the volume of responses, an RSVP may be required for entrance to the event. In the event that we reach capacity and have to close RSVPs, there will not be a waiting list.

Get your copy!
EVENT ATTENDEES: Preorder your copy of Meridian Rising through this page. Books will also be available for purchase at the event. Books can be picked up 30 minutes before the event in the event space.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE EVENT? Preorder the book here to have it signed, and choose to have it held for pickup or shipped from the store!
Book orders are processed for pickup or shipping after ticket sales have closed.

Event accessibility
  • This event will take place at street level.
  • If possible, events are livestreamed. Check out our store YouTube channel for livestream updates.
  • ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.
  • Please email us at dGlja2V0aW5nIHwgYnJvb2tsaW5lYm9va3NtaXRoICEgY29t as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. Seats are limited.We will do our best to serve your needs!


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Meridian Rising

The magical imagined memoir of American music legend Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music

Known for “Blue Yodel (T for Texas),” “Waiting for a Train,” and “In the Jailhouse Now,” Jimmie Rodgers’s impact on American music is incalculable. Paul Burch's bio-fictional tale of the short and poignant life of the "Father of Country Music” includes an imagined first-person memoir, accompanied by spirited, hilarious, and often conflicting recollections of Jimmie’s family and music colleagues, along with period black-and-white illustrations.Born in 1897 in Meridian, Mississippi, Rodgers remains the only artist voted into the Rock & Roll, Country, Blues, and Songwriters Halls of Fame. Generations of fans from B. B. King and Johnny Cash to George Harrison and Dolly Parton recall a Rodgers record as the first music played in their home. But his fame extended far beyond America to Africa, Ireland, England, Australia, and Russia. His disciples include Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan, John Prine, the Clash’s Joe Strummer, Jack White, and anyone over the last century who has picked up a guitar to sing about life and the world around it.Meridian Rising is at once an immersive tale and a brilliant literary puzzle, deftly blending history and fiction to create a vibrant alternative life-tale of the entertainer Howling Wolf called “my man that I really dug.” Written with the knowledge and sensitivity of a touring musician who has traveled many of the same roads and stages, Meridian Rising engages the reader in a quest for truth while confronting the deceptions that live within our deepest relationships.

Paul Burch, a native of Washington, D.C., is a writer, composer, and recording artist. Burch has produced numerous albums with his band the WPA Ballclub, including Last of My Kind, a companion to Tony Earley’s best-selling novel Jim the Boy, as well as a musical version of Meridian Rising. In addition, Burch has produced recordings with Mark Knopfler, Ralph Stanley, Lambchop, and Charlie Louvin, which received a GRAMMY nomination.

Peter Guralnick has been called "a national resource" by critic Nat Hentoff for work that has argued passionately and persuasively for the vitality of this country’s intertwined Black and White musical traditions. His books include the prize-winning two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love; Sweet Soul Music; Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke; and Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll. His most recent book is Looking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music and Writing, and he has just published The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership That Rocked the World. He wrote the scripts for the Grammy-winning documentary Sam Cooke/Legend and Martin Scorsese’s blues documentary, Feel Like Going Home.



About Brookline Booksmith

Brookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!


Also check out other Arts events in Brookline, Literary Art events in Brookline, Music events in Brookline.

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Ticket Info

Tickets for Paul Burch with Peter Guralnick: Meridian Rising can be booked here.

Ticket type Ticket price
RSVP Free
RSVP + Support Our Store 7 USD
RSVP + Meridian Rising (event pickup) 35 USD
Meridian Rising (book only, priority mail) 46 USD
Meridian Rising (book only, store pickup) 35 USD
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Nearby Hotels

Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, United States

Just a heads up!

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Paul Burch with Peter Guralnick: Meridian Rising, 26 September | Event in Brookline | AllEvents
Paul Burch with Peter Guralnick: Meridian Rising
Fri, 26 Sep, 2025 at 07:00 pm
USD 0