The Songlines of Richmond: A Celebration of Performing Arts, Artists and Stages

Brooks Smith and Wayne Dementi have co-authored a delightful book that celebrates the performing arts of Richmond, her people, her venues and her events. The book, Songlines of Richmond has a rich performing arts history, beginning with Quesnay's "first academy of fine arts in America," and continuing through the decades with surprising connections to Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and of course, home-grown greats like Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Shirley MacLaine. The Songlines of Richmond celebrates these artists, their old and forgotten stages, and the organizations that have helped to preserve, sustain, and nurture the arts in our city. The book features essays that first aired on WCVE Public Radio as part of Brooks' commentary series, Rediscovering Richmond, together with new and vintage photographs collected or personally captured by the Dementi family of photographers. With a foreword by Jimmy Dean, a preface by Bill Martin, Executive Director of the Valentine Richmond History C