The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs that Shaped a City

by Eva Walker, Jacob Uitti

This rockin' paperback explores the musical evolution of Seattle through the lens of 101 songs spanning 80 years, examining the most prominent and important music and musicians to come out of our corner of the country, with a foreword by Pearl Jam legend Mike McCready.KEXP DJ and musician Eva Walker and music writer Jake Uitti take readers on a musical journey, exploring the songs and artists instrumental to developing the "Seattle sound." The authors have curated the ultimate playlist for the Emerald City. It all begins in 1942 when Washington-born Bing Crosby records what will become the world's bestselling single of all time, "White Christmas." From there, readers will delight in a sensory trip through jazz, rock, punk, riot grrrl, pop, rap, grunge, indie, emo, and more, deepening their knowledge and love of the songs that shaped Seattle, and in the process, each of us.Both a love letter and love song to the city, The Sound of Seattle is a visual guide organized by decade, with seminal songs profiled and paired with inventive design reminiscent of a favorite zine or concert poster. Includes interviews with Seattle legends like Heart's Nancy Wilson, as well as sidebars showcasing musical landmarks throughout the city. How has the Emerald City’s musical output changed and evolved? What is the connective tissue between Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Kenny G? Between Melvins, Sleater-Kinney, and Foo Fighters? Between Sir Mix-a-Lot, Macklemore, and Travis Thompson? We're gonna find out!

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

288 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2024

About the author

As a young girl, I loved telling stories to keep my friends entertained. After working for a few years in corporate, I decided to follow my real passion and start writing - romantic fiction.
I firmly believe all stories should have a happy ending. I am a self-proclaimed coffee addict with a passion for good old-fashioned Southern food. When I am not locked away writing, I can be found reading, shopping and cooking up delicious treats to spoil my family with. Visit me at www.authorevawalker.blogspot.com, facebook.com/AuthorEvaWalker and on twitter.com/AuthorEvaWalker

Reviews

[Dana Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

great lil book, learned a lot about the people/venues that have shaped the seattle music scene! my only complaint is that they said “the likes of” an absurd number of times

[Anna Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Eva Walker and when I found out she wrote a book on Seattle music, I had to read it. This book goes beyond the flannel and white boys and digs deep. Great book.

[Shaun Swick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad it exists, and kudos to Walker and Uitti for taking on such a project. But, even given the style and format of Sasquatch, I wish the song blurbs were more than just an uneven mix of fly-by artist bios, rote explanations of the sounds of the song, and offhand reasoning for why so many of these songs were chosen in the first place. I bought this at the Sub Pop support store and I feel like it’s best for that audience, not true Seattleites/music fans.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Washingtonian, this was such a cool book to read, because it enlightened me as to just how many great artists have come out of this state--whether they were born here or had their breakthrough when living here. This is a fairly quick and very easy read, with the co-authors highlighting each artist in short but informative journal-like entries. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone curious about the Washington music scene beyond the familiar and much-loved 90s grunge scene!

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book that highlights some cool and heralded musicians. Some of the connections to Seattle/the Seattle area felt a little tenuous (inclusion of Loretta Lynn) and there was a glaring omission in the lack of a presence of Phil Elverum/The Microphones. Otherwise, it felt like the blurbs for each song could have included a little more personality. I thought including info about the venues was cool!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the format of this book. Each band is given a couple of paragraphs of very concise information. Venues and other non-performance topics get their due as well. The added bonus is the spotify playlist. Hearing the songs while reading about the song raises the reading experience to the next level. I was reading it when word came that Quincy Jones had passed so that also added another dimension to my time with the book.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a fan of Walker's band, Black Tones, and radio show on KEXP, I was looking forward to reading this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by many of the artists even having been part of the Seattle and the surrounding towns/cities and their influence here. I will definitely dive into looking up some of these artists that I knew nothing about and checking out their music.

My disappointment lay in the fact that it read so much like a history textbook. Ugh.

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - highly informative, but weirdly spaced time wise, as it mostly focused on the grunge scene. Encouraged me to dig more into the modern day local music scene and to think more about the historical music scene as well.

[wes moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning the musical history of the city, and found a few new songs that will go on my regular rotation.

[Jill Hyesun Wasberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough! A good one to keep on the shelf in your reference section.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic! I was already in love with Seattle before I read this, but now I am totally inspired.