The Ultimate American Music Bucket List – An Interview/Review
Author Bill Cleven has written The Ultimate American Music Bucket List. This is a book about favorite places to travel to find where the music took place. I received a digital copy for review. In the book, Bill Clevlen covers it all from the childhood home of Johnny Cash to the tiny room where Buddy Holly recorded his first hit song. I have loved pouring through this book. It is fun seeing all the places I have been and noting those I have not.
What is the book about?
In his introduction, Clevlen explains, just what the book is about. “This is book is a musical map to the people and places that made American music the most popular in the world. From iconic recording studios to tiny houses where musical giants once grew up, this is an ultimate bucket list of
sites.”
Putting the book together.
I asked Bill Clevlen, “How long did it take you to write this and compile all the information for the book?”
“I’ve been visiting these music themed attractions for years, so I already had most of the information – if not in my head, then in notes or stories I’ve already written. I worked on completing the book last summer so it would be published in time for road trip season 2022.”
So, while he compiled it last summer, it was years in the making!
Where Bill Clevlen got his start.
It was obvious that Bill Clevlen loved music, so I asked him about his background. “So, you were a DJ? How long and for what stations?
Clevlen said, “In my younger days, I was in fact a “DJ” – for a soft rock radio station in St. Louis. I quickly pivoted to talk radio which I did for 20 years and still do as a freelance contributor doing travel reports.”
Favorite Place?
With all the places he lists, homes, birthplaces, murals, statues and more, in the Ultimate American Music Bucket List, I had to know, where has been his favorite places to visit?
He replied, “Of all the places in the book, my favorite spots have been the Johnny Cash Hideaway Farm in Bon Aqua, Tennessee and FAME Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.”
I loved the Johnny Cash boyhood home and FAME recording studio when I visited. I need to get to the Hideaway Farm ASAP!
Suprises?
I asked if there were any surprises when compiling the book? Clevlen said, “I learned a lot but was most surprised to learn that “Woodstock” didn’t actually take place in Woodstock, New York. All this time, I had no idea that the Woodstock Music Festival was actually named after a company and not the city in New York. It actually took place on a farm in Bethel, New York.”
The Wrap
The Ultimate American Music Bucket List is a marvel of music history that you can see and photograph! The travel guide retails for $19.95 where books are sold with autographed copies. Tap on the link above. A companion podcast with additional stories and road trip ideas is also available on all podcast platforms. Next on my list is to get prepared to start mapping out future music stops! Hopefully you will be reading about some in the near future!
