Barrelhouse Kings: A Memoir

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

Barrelhouse, a type of blues Callaghan favors, is characterized by a
strongly accented beat, syncopation, dissonance, and especially free
improvisation. As its title suggests, this book does not follow a
linear, chronological path. The memoirs are framed by the life of Morley
Callaghan (1903–1990), the author’s fabled father.

Unlike many other sons of famous men who are shadows of their fathers,
Callaghan has established his own profile as an author, poet, publisher,
filmmaker, journalist, and academic. Over the years he has met a huge
number of Kings, some famous (such as Edmund Wilson and Mohammad Ali),
some not so famous. Callaghan writes about his experiences honestly,
evocatively, and compellingly. Given the richness of its content, the
book’s most serious drawback is that it does not have an index. As
well, the book’s photographs are easily overlooked because of their
location inside the front and back covers.

Caveats aside, the recently established McArthur & Company has got off
to a booming start with the publication of Barrelhouse Kings.