Stephen Koch From Almeda to Zilphia

About the author:

Stephen Koch is a musician, author, cartoonist, and award-winning journalist in both broadcast media and print. Koch is the host of the award-winning Arkansongs, syndicated on public radio stations throughout the Mid-South. Illustrator Katherine Strause is a working artist and educator who exhibits nationally, with her work found in many public and private collections. She is retired chair of the art department and professor of painting at Henderson State University.

About the book:

From Almeda to Zilphia: Arkansas Women Who Transformed American Popular Song profiles thirty artists who have impacted music worldwide and spread their influence in ways we’re still discovering. Going from A to Z across the decades and genres, it illuminates a wide cross-section of people and musical styles, including gospel (Rosetta Tharpe), opera (Marjorie Lawrence), blues (Sippie Wallace), folk ballads (Almeda Riddle), dance-pop (Beth Ditto), classical (Florence Price), and country (K.T. Oslin), with surprises like Maya Angelou’s side career as a calypso singer; Eva Ware Barnett, who wrote the official state song; and Carrie Rivers Cash, who enabled the musical career of her son, Johnny Cash. Vivid painted portraits by artist Katherine Strause make clear the strength and artistry of these cultural pioneers.

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