Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

First and foremost, the book feels great in my hands. There is one material item that gives me immense pleasure, a hardback book. Those e-readers are fine for the airplane or train, but that doesn’t even come close to how a real book feels. This is no ordinary book. It’s called a coffee table book, but it is so much more. This book is an historical marker of events that transpired over 20 years ago. Luckily, this history is now preserved forever. 

The cover image is striking, a solo photo of Marty walking forward with his eyes gazing at the ground. He is wearing a black overcoat with a black hat. The hat is adorned by a metallic skeleton. The photo is grainy and the absolute perfect symbol for this book. The back cover contains the sepia toned photo of a train rolling along the tracks. Such powerful imagery that really sets the tone of what is in between the covers.

I love surprises and I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that a CD of The Pilgrim (Deluxe Edition) is included! It is the perfect accompaniment to this beautiful, one of a kind work of art. So many great country music and bluegrass artists worked on this album including Johnny Cash, George Jones, Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, The Clinch Mountain Boys, and Pam Tillis.

The book is packed with photos of so many iconic musicians with Marty. The list is too long to mention all of the legends that appear in this book but pretty much all of the big ones are represented in both country and rock and roll. The likes of Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc. In addition to the famous folks that appear in the pages, Marty also includes many photos of the people that would normally be left out of such a book. That includes photos of hillbillies, hobos, an Elvis impersonator, circus performers, and go-go dancers.

Marty is part Choctaw Indian and he is rightfully proud of his heritage. He prominently displays photos of Marvin Helper, who is a holy man in the Lakota Tribe in South Dakota. In the book, Marty tells a story about the night before his wedding to Connie Smith. Marvin told Marty that if he saw an eagle before they were wed, “everything would be okay.” Marty confirmed that he and Connie did see an eagle on the way to the nuptials.  They are still married after 23 years so Marvin was right. One of the most emotional moments in the book for me is when Marty wrote, ” Marrying Connie, is without question, the greatest event of my life.”  

The book also goes through the songs on The Pilgrim and also the recording sessions. There are tons of pictures of both. This isn’t as much of a read as it is an experience. The emotion evoked from the words and pictures is a bit overwhelming. I felt many of the same chills when I watched Ken Burns’ Country Music. This is really the history of country music part two. 

I don’t usually talk about the price of things, but in this instance, I think it is important. The book retails for under $30. I have seen books with less substance go for upwards of $75 bucks. This is a bargain of epic proportion. If you don’t have a coffee table to display this book, buy the book and a coffee table too!  

Buy The Pilgrim – A Wall To Wall Odyssey