Chicago's way up north, but it has had a surprising influence on the growth of country music over the past century or so – from early radio broadcasts that provided the inspiration for Nashville's Grand Ol Opry, and a training ground for huge early stars of the 78rpm generation – to a home for southern emigres in the postwar years, a huge folk scene in the 60s and 70s, and a big resurgence of alt-country energy over the past few decades! Author Mark Guarino chronicles that oft-forgot history here in wonderful detail – bringing more to our attention than we even knew, even as Chicago lifers – all laid out in wonderful detail, but with a narrative flow that really makes the history come alive. The heavy hardcover book is 524 pages in length, with copious notes, and a few sections of black and white photographs inside. Book

Peter Guralnick has written some mighty big, career-defining books on key figures in music – but from the start, we've always loved his shorter pieces the best – the kind of work we first fell in love with in books like Sweet Soul Music and Lost Highway! And if you dig his shorter pieces, there's plenty of those here – really wonderful essays on artists in a variety of genres – penned by one of the few figures who can balance an understanding of their music with a mixture of historical detail and unabashed fandom! Guralnick's writing has gotten better and better over the years – and it's great to have it focused back on his roots – in chapters that focus on artists who include Solomon Burke, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, Howlin Wolf, Tammy Wynette, and even the great country trucker Dick Curless! Hardcover book is 554 pages, with black and white illustrations throughout. Book

A Japanese disc guide, but one with a really great focus – a look at the revival of indie labels in the world of hip hop in the 90s – after surprising domination of the style by the bigger record companies by the end of the previous decade! The book traces records through the 90s to the present – looking at key releases from smaller labels in important scenes around the country, and sometimes around the globe – really genre-shifting records that changed the vibe of hip hop strongly, and which now stand as modern classics in the field. As with other Japanese disc guides, the book has multiple listings per page – with artist, title, label, and date in English, and a short review in Japanese, along with a full color replica of the album cover. And if you can't read Japanese, Google Translate has gotten very good on your phone – so you can read the Japanese text via your camera with that program. The book has hundreds of listings, is over 200 pages, and is full color throughout. Book