“Stephen Wade is not only a musical prodigy, he’s also a gifted writer, and one of our great chroniclers of American vernacular music. Part memoir, part biography, part history, Our Common Life is an affirmation of American musical creativity. But much more, in this age of billionaire creeps posing as populists and online hucksters monetizing hatred, Our Common Life evokes the real bedrock America, and it overflows with decency, imagination, and joy. Wade and his cast of characters are not just whistling in the dark; they’re whistling and singing and laughing and playing and carrying on. This is a wonderful book.”

—Elliott Gorn, author of Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America

“Wade’s own experience as a musician informs every page of the book. First, he adeptly describes style and performance as the musicians themselves perceive their work, rather than through categories and abstraction. Second, Wade describes the physicality of music making—for example, how it feels to play fiddle for a rowdy dance crowd for hours on end. Finally, he is an accomplished interviewer, and this gift brilliantly carries over into allowing the musicians to express themselves in their own eloquent and poetic words.”

—Erika Brady, author of A Spiral Way: How the Phonograph Changed Ethnography

“Stephen uses an abundance of published media to reinforce his invaluable personal experiences interviewing tradition bearers and using them to demonstrate the role of music in both rural and urban traditional societies. As one vignette flows into another, Wade forges a long chain of interrelated mini documentaries within a clear and engaging narrative that’s sure to hold the reader’s attention.”

—Norm Cohen, author of Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong