Alice Randall

Last updated

Alice Randall
10.5.17AliceRandallByLuigiNovi1.jpg
Randall at the New York Comic Con
BornMari-Alice Randall
(1959-05-04) May 4, 1959 (age 65)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation
  • Author
  • songwriter
  • screenwriter
  • educator
LanguageEnglish
Education Harvard University
GenreHistorical fiction, political fiction
SpouseDavid Ewing (1997--2017)
Children Caroline Randall Williams
Website
www.alicerandall.com

Alice Randall (born May 4, 1959) is an American author, songwriter, producer, and lecturer. She is best known for her contributions to country music, in addition to her novel and New York Times bestseller The Wind Done Gone , which is a reinterpretation and parody of the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind . [1]

Contents

Early life

Mari-Alice Randall was born on May 4, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, and was raised in Washington, D.C. [2] She attended Harvard University, where she earned an honors bachelor's degree in English and American literature and graduated cum laude. [3]

In 1983, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to become a country songwriter, where she still resides on the Vanderbilt University campus. [3] Alice Randall was married until 1990 [4] to Avon Nyanza Williams III, [5] [6] son of Avon N. Williams and together they had a daughter, Caroline. [7] In 1997, She married David Ewing, a ninth-generation Nashvillian, historian and former lawyer. She is currently a writer-in-residence and Professor at Vanderbilt University. [8]

Career

Music

On her second night in Nashville in 1983, Alice Randall was discovered by Steve Earle at the Bluebird Cafe. Earle taught Randall how to be a country songwriter, beginning that evening. [9] After starting her career in country music under the mentorship of Steve Earle, Randall founded her own music production company titled Midsummer Music in Nashville. [10]

Randall co-wrote "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)," which was released as a single in 1994 by country music singer Trisha Yearwood. Over 20 of her songs have been recorded, including several top 10 and top 40 records; with many of her songs having been performed by Trisha Yearwood and Mark O'Connor. [2] Additionally, she contributed to Johnny Cash's "The Chicken in Black", which was on the US Hot Country Songs by Billboard for twelve weeks. [11] [12]

In addition to her song writing, Randall also wrote the video of the year "Is There Life Out There" by Reba McEntire, which won at the 1992 Academy of Country Music Awards. [11]

Writing

Fiction

Randall is the author of six fiction novels:

  • The Wind Done Gone (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001)
  • Pushkin and the Queen of Spades (2004)
  • Rebel Yell (2009)
  • Ada's Rules: A Sexy Skinny Novel (2012)
  • The Diary of B.B. Bright, Possible Princess (2013) winner of the Phillis Wheatley Award
  • Black Bottom Saints (2020)


Her first novel The Wind Done Gone, is a reinterpretation and parody of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind . The Wind Done Gone retells Gone with the Wind from the viewpoint of Scarlett O'Hara's half-sister Cynara, a mulatto slave on Scarlett's plantation.

Randall and the publishing company of The Wind Done Gone, Houghton Mifflin, were sued in April 2001 by Mitchell's estate on the grounds that The Wind Done Gone infringed the copyright of Gone with the Wind. The lawsuit, Suntrust v. Houghton Mifflin Co. , was settled, allowing The Wind Done Gone to be published on the condition of a label of "An Unauthorized Parody". [13] In addition, Houghton Mifflin agreed to make a financial contribution to the Morehouse College, a historically black education institution in Atlanta supported by the Mitchell estate. [2] The novel became a New York Times bestseller. [14]

Randall's second novel, Pushkin and the Queen of Spades, was named as one of The Washington Post's "Best Fiction of 2004." [15]

Non-fiction

Published by Random House in 2015, the cookbook "Soul Food Love" was co-written by Randall and her daughter, Caroline Randall Williams, an author and poet. Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams wrote the cookbook to inspire healthy living in their lives and in the African American community, by reducing fats and sugars, while paying homage to traditional soul food. [16] In February 2016, the book received the 2016 NAACP Image Award for Literature (Instructional). [17]

In 2006, Alice Randall also wrote My Country Roots, alongside Carter and Courtney Little. She published this non-fiction piece in Nashville, by Naked Ink. [18]

In 2024, Alice Randall released *My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future through Atria/Black Privilege Publishing. [19] A companion album, *My Black Country - The Songs of Alice Randall - Various Artists - CD was released by Oh Boy Records. [20]

Production

Randall wrote and produced the pilot of the television movie XXX's and OOO's, a film about four ex-wives of country music singers, on CBS in 1994. The 1 hour and 50 minute film was directed by Allan Arkush and co-written by John Wilder. [11] [21]

Education

Randall is now a professor at Vanderbilt University, where she resides as a writer-in-residence and serves as the Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities. [8] At Vanderbilt, she specializes in soul food, African American children's literature, African American film, and creative writing. [8] She teaches courses including lectures on "Country Lyric in American Culture" and "Soul Food as Text and In Text". [9] While at Vanderbilt, she is working on using the arts in the American health disparity as well as the international health disparity. [8]

Awards

Randall received the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award in 2001 [22] and the Literature Award of Excellence from the Memphis Black Writers Conference in 2002. She was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award in 2002. [3] Randall was also accepted for a prestigious writing residency at the famed Yaddo artist's community from June 23, 2011, to July 24, 2011. [23] Randall and her daughter, Caroline Randall Williams, received the 2016 NAACP Image Award for Literature (Instructional) for their book, Soul Food Love. [17]

Randall was inducted into the Silver Circle in 2008, in honor of working in the country music industry for a quarter of a century. She was inducted alongside 10 other nominees, notably Reba McEntire, whose video of the year she wrote in 1992. [18]

Songs

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garth Brooks</span> American country singer (born 1962)

Troyal Garth Brooks is an American country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the country music single and album charts, multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances, while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena.

<i>Gone with the Wind</i> (novel) 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell

Gone with the Wind is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. It depicts the struggles of young Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, who must use every means at her disposal to claw her way out of poverty following Sherman's destructive "March to the Sea." This historical novel features a coming-of-age story, with the title taken from the poem "Non Sum Qualis eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae", written by Ernest Dowson.

<i>The Wind Done Gone</i> 2001 novel by Alice Randall

The Wind Done Gone (2001) is the first novel written by Alice Randall. It is a historical novel that tells an alternative account of the story in the American novel Gone with the Wind (1936) by Margaret Mitchell. While the story of Gone with the Wind focuses on the life of the daughter of a wealthy slave owner, Scarlett O'Hara, The Wind Done Gone tells the story of the life of slaves, Cynara, an enslaved woman during the same time period and events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trisha Yearwood</span> American country singer (born 1964)

Patricia Lynn Yearwood is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the Billboard country singles chart. Its corresponding self-titled debut album would sell over two million copies. Yearwood continued with a series of major country hits during the early to mid-1990s, including "Walkaway Joe" (1992), "The Song Remembers When" (1993), "XXX's and OOO's " (1994), and "Believe Me Baby " (1996).

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Do I Live</span> 1997 single by LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood

"How Do I Live" is a song written by Diane Warren. It was originally performed by American singer and actress LeAnn Rimes and was the first single from her second studio album, You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs (1997). A second version was performed by American singer Trisha Yearwood, which was featured in the film Con Air. Both versions were released to radio on May 23, 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malinda Williams</span> American actress and producer

Malinda Williams is an American actress and producer. She began her career on television, before appearing in films A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), High School High (1996), and The Wood (1999).

<i>Thinkin About You</i> 1995 studio album by Trisha Yearwood

Thinkin' About You is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Trisha Yearwood. The album reached #3 on the Billboard country albums chart.

<i>Everybody Knows</i> (Trisha Yearwood album) 1996 studio album by Trisha Yearwood

Everybody Knows is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Trisha Yearwood, containing country pop-styled ballads.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Trisha Yearwood album) 2007 greatest hits album by Trisha Yearwood

Greatest Hits is the twelfth album by country singer Trisha Yearwood. The album is the final album released during Yearwood's association with the record company MCA, after she signed to Big Machine Records in early 2007. The album is composed of hits from her 16-year tenure with MCA, and features two previously unreleased tracks, "Just a Cup of Coffee" and "Nothin' to Lose." Both of these songs were recorded for Yearwood's 2005 album, Jasper County, but were not included on the album and are, as such, represented here as unfinished studio cuts. "Nothin' to Lose" was eventually recorded by fellow artist and former MCA labelmate, Reba McEntire, for her 2009 album Keep on Loving You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trisha Yearwood discography</span>

American country music artist Trisha Yearwood has released 15 studio albums, nine compilation albums, 43 music videos, 57 singles, 29 other charted songs and appeared on 30 albums. Yearwood's self-titled debut album was released in 1991, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 31 on the Billboard 200. It became the first debut female country album to sell one million copies, later certifying double platinum by the RIAA. The album would spawn an additional three singles, including "The Woman Before Me". Her second studio album was the critically acclaimed Hearts in Armor (1992). It spawned the top five country hits "Wrong Side of Memphis" and "Walkaway Joe". Her third studio record The Song Remembers When (1993) enjoyed similar success and the lead single reached number two on the Billboard country chart. A holiday album appeared before her platinum-selling fourth studio album Thinkin' About You (1995). Reaching number 3 on the country albums chart and number 28 on the Billboard 200, its first two singles topped the Hot Country Singles chart. Her sixth studio album Everybody Knows (1996) spawned Yearwood's fourth number one single, "Believe Me Baby ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrong Side of Memphis</span> 1992 single by Trisha Yearwood

"Wrong Side of Memphis" is a song written by Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison. First recorded by John Berry on his 1990 independent album Saddle the Wind, it was later released by American country music singer, Trisha Yearwood in August 1992. It was the first single released off her second studio album, Hearts in Armor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)</span> 1994 single by Trisha Yearwood

"XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" is a song written by Matraca Berg and Alice Randall, and recorded by American country music singer Trisha Yearwood. It was released in June 1994 as the lead single from her album Thinkin' About You. The song became her second number-one hit on the US country chart and her first since "She's in Love with the Boy" in 1991. The single also peaked at number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and number one on the Canadian Country singles chart. It is the theme song to her Food Network show Trisha's Southern Kitchen.

<i>Suntrust Bank v. Houghton Mifflin Co.</i> United States court case on copyright and fair use

Suntrust Bank v. Houghton Mifflin Co., 268 F.3d 1257, was a case decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit against the owner of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind, vacating an injunction prohibiting the publisher of Alice Randall's 2001 parody, The Wind Done Gone, from distributing the book.

Becky Priest is an American country music singer-songwriter and instrumentalist hailing from Hubbard, Texas and now based in Nashville, Tennessee.

<i>Kelly Clarksons Cautionary Christmas Music Tale</i> American TV series or program

Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale is a 2013 Christmas television special produced by Done and Dusted for NBC. Directed by Hamish Hamilton, it stars Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, William Shatner, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Danica Patrick, Heidi Klum, Ken Jeong, Jai Rodriguez and Morgan Bastin. It is a musical comedy pastiche loosely based on Charles Dickens's 1843 novella A Christmas Carol where Clarkson's character learns the true meaning of Christmas, accompanied by the music of her sixth studio album Wrapped in Red.

<i>PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit</i> 2014 studio album (re-recording) by Trisha Yearwood

PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit is a re-recorded studio album by American country artist Trisha Yearwood. It was released on November 17, 2014, via Gwendolyn Records and RCA Records Nashville. The album marked Yearwood's first release of new material since 2007's Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love.PrizeFighter contained six new songs as well as ten re-recorded versions of her hits. Two singles were released to radio, including the title track, which became a charting single on the Billboard country chart. The album received mixed reviews from critics upon its release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Randall Williams</span> American writer

Caroline Randall Williams is an American author, poet and academic best known for the 2015 cookbook Soul Food Love, co-written with her mother, author Alice Randall, and published by Random House. In February, 2016, Soul Food Love received the NAACP Image Award in Literature (Instructional).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miracle on Broadway</span> Music concert

Miracle on Broadway was an annual Christmas benefit concert by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson. Presented by Live Nation, the first of a planned annual series of benefit concerts was held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on December 20, 2014 and featured musicians Reba, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Kacey Musgraves, Hayley Williams, Chad Gilbert, Charles Esten, Meghan Trainor, Martina McBride, Kix Brooks, and Deborah Allen performing renditions of various Christmas songs and tracks from Clarkson's Christmas album Wrapped in Red (2013). The concert raised over US$500,000 ticket sales and donations for four charities based in Nashville: Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Monroe Harding Children’s Home, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Thistle Farms. Clarkson had also announced plans to turn Miracle on Broadway into an annual benefit concert and planned to hold one in Bridgestone Arena on December 18, 2015. However, this concert was cancelled due to Clarkson's health complications during her second pregnancy. The 2016 concert was held on December 16, 2016.

<i>Icon</i> (Trisha Yearwood album) 2010 compilation album by Trisha Yearwood

Icon is a compilation album by American country artist Trisha Yearwood. It was released on August 31, 2010 via MCA Nashville Records and charted on the Billboard country albums chart. It was one of several compilations released by MCA following Yearwood's departure from the label in 2007. It contained a series of Yearwood's biggest hits from her years at the label.

References

  1. ↑ Green, Penelope (September 16, 2009). "At Home with Alice Randall: What Matters Most". New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Paula J. K. Morris, "Randall, Alice 1959–", Contemporary Black Biography, 2003. Encyclopedia.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Biography on Alice Randall Official Website, accessed February 9, 2007.
  4. ↑ Green, Penelope (September 16, 2009). "What Matters Most". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Army General Counsel Avon Williams III Dies". Washington Post. February 24, 2024. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  6. ↑ "A.N. Williams 3d and Miss Randall Exchange Vows". The New York Times. September 29, 1985.
  7. ↑ Nelson, Sandra (August 31, 2023). "Taking Vows: Caroline Randall Williams Marries Timothy Scott Darrah". Nfocus. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Alice Randall". African American & Diaspora Studies. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Country Music | Ken Burns | PBS | Alice Randall Biography". Country Music | Ken Burns | PBS. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ Kenan, Randall (Winter 2018). "An Interview with Alice Randall". Southern Quarterly. 55 (2/3): 227–244.
  11. 1 2 3 "Alice Randall, Author". AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Johnny Cash". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  13. ↑ Calvin Reid, "HM, Mitchell Estate Settle 'WDG' Suit", Publishers Weekly , May 10, 2002.
  14. ↑ "'Wind Done Gone' fifth on Amazon, 11th on New York Times best-seller list". Nashville Post. July 18, 2001. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  15. ↑ "The best of 2004, brought to you by our eclectic band of reviewers". The Washington Post, December 5, 2004.
  16. ↑ "Interweaving Family History With Healthy Soul Food". www.wbur.org. March 23, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  17. 1 2 "NAACP Image Awards – Inside the Show". Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Alice Randall CV" (PDF). Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  19. ↑ Currin, Grayson Haver (April 3, 2024). "Alice Randall Made Country History. Black Women Are Helping Tell Hers". The New York Times.
  20. ↑ "In "My Black Country," Alice Randall hears her songs as she imagined". April 10, 2024.
  21. ↑ XXX's & OOO's (TV Movie 1994) - IMDb , retrieved April 17, 2023
  22. ↑ Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award Past Honorees Archived January 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , Freedom Forum
  23. ↑ Patterson, Jim. "Vanderbilt writer Alice Randall accepted for Yaddo residency". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.