Unsung Heroes Of Rock 'n' Roll: The Birth of Rock 'N' Roll in the Wild Years Before Elvis Revised Edition

by Nick Tosches

A look at the early history of rock music focuses on influential, but overlooked singers and musicians, including Big Joe Turner, Louis Prima, Bill Haley, The Clovers, and Screamin Jay Hawkins

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Historical

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Nick Tosches was an American journalist, novelist, biographer, and poet. His 1982 biography of Jerry Lee Lewis, Hellfire, was praised by Rolling Stone magazine as "the best rock and roll biography ever written."

Reviews

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never read Nick Tosches but knew of his reputation. The subject was right down my alley too.

Tosches talks about the rock n rollers that predated Bill Haley and Elvis. Even going far enough to point out that “rock and roll” was a 40s phenomenon that was dead and a pale imitation before Sun Records got ahold of if.

I can’t imagine the power of this being published in 1984. Like the classic baseball book The Glory of Their Times, Tosches was lucky enough to catch these pioneers before they were completely forgotten.

There are a couple of recognizable names - Screamin Jay Hawkins and Wanda Jackson would have career resurrections. Paul Simon would have a hit namechecking Johnny Ace. Modern technology from boxed collections to social media to streaming networks have brought Louis Jordan, Wynonnie Harris and Big Joe Turner to new audiences. There will be other names your recognize but many like Roy Hall (writer of “Whole Lotta Shaking Going On”) are more obscure

Tosches’s book is flawed but it may be the product of the time. Each entry feels like an encyclopedia entry, but is often a mess of insight and discography. 40 years later, we all have enough experience reading information that is presented in an encyclopediac way that is also written to entertain. But Tosches didn’t have a Wikipedia template to guide him.

To draw the characters bigger than life, it sometimes feel like he is caricaturing some of the individuals, drawing them into Cramps or Iggy Stooge style descriptions. No doubt these musicians were the “Wild ones” of their day. Tosches even draws himself into this Tougher than Leather James Elroy-style fiction. He is macho, misanthropic to an unintended comic effect.

Which makes it “punk rock” but also makes it kind of silly. Calling Wanda Jackson “the greatest rocker that ever menstruated” is one of the better examples in a book filled with wannabe tough guy clunkers.

It’s a bunch of silliness if you take it as seriously as portrayed. I’m not sure if the final interview of the book which is Elvis’s twin Jesse falls in the level of genius or stupidity.

But I can’t fault Tosches too much for his attempt at bringing “gonzo journalism” to music criticism or writing a book that really hasn’t been improved on since, even if many readers may find that they don’t have the patience for it.

I did like the addition of the timeline at the end to give you a feeling of how long ago these trailblazers were doing their thing. The book is at times, monotonously repetitive but the subject matter makes it worthwhile

[David Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Dark and Wild Years Before Elvis by Nick Tosches (Charles Scribner’s Sons 1984) (780.92) (3859).

This book by author Nick Tosches introduced me, a hardcore rock and roll fan, to a number of lesser-known and less-remembered stars of the early days of rock and roll. This volume features musicians who were best known at the time when boogie-woogie gave way to the music of the Beatles, the Stones, and the Grateful Dead: the era of classic rock and roll.

Tosches’ book is a series of short (three to six page) biographical blurbs of 26 musicians (listed below) who were actively performing or recording prior to the mid-1960s who the author felt had been largely forgotten by music fans and who deserved to be remembered by a wider audience.

Fortunately, these entries included the titles of each musicians’ best “rock songs” in the author’s estimation. I recognized the names of a number of the musicians chosen for inclusion in this volume, but I was unfamiliar with the music of many of these artists. I therefore logged on to my favorite music video website and was able to find the original recordings of every single song that the author had referenced. Thanks to Nick Tosches, I now have some new favorite music and musicians.

With my gratitude to the author for writing this book now on record, here’s my review: I liked the book’s subject matter, but I grew disgusted with the author’s prose. Many of Nick Tosches’ comments were simply insulting to the artists, were unnecessary, and were just plain nasty. Why he chose to present the information in such a fashion, I do not know and cannot imagine.

Sometimes Tosches’ references were incomprehensible. Here’s a representative sample in which the author is describing the music of Louis Prima: “To hear Louis Prima sing is not only to begin to comprehend this world, but also to begin to comprehend why no one in a tweed suit ever got laid within ten miles of downtown Newark.” (Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n’ Roll, p. 60).

Excuse me? Am I missing a subtle reference?

More to the point, Tosches’ critiques were often brusque, rude, and condescending - unnecessarily so (see chapter on Wynonie Harris). Sometimes the author was crude and purposely repulsive (see the comments on the Trenier twins’ family size, manner of procreation, and lack of family planning). He was also a blatant misogynist too, as evidenced by his backhanded praise of Wanda Jackson, who was one of the queens of rockabilly music, having toured with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. Tosches referred to Wanda Jackson as “...the greatest menstruating rock ‘n’ roll singer whom the world has ever known.” (Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n’ Roll, p. 128).

WTF?

Ultimately, I recommend this book, if you can ignore the author’s blatant insults. The information in this volume is a useful introduction to artists who deserve to be remembered. Just don’t pay any attention to the grumpy asshat who wrote the book.

As promised above, here’s a complete list of the performers celebrated in this book: Jesse Stone, Big Joe Turner, Nat King Cole, Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris, Ella Mae Morse, Cecil Gant, Amos Milburn, Roy Brown, Louis Prima, The Treniers, Stick McGhee, Bill Haley, Roy Hall, Hardrock Gunter, Merrill Moore, Skeets McDonald, The Clovers, The Dominoes, Jackie Brenston, The Midnighters, Jimmie Logsdon, Screamin’ Jay Hwkins, Wanda Jackson, Johnny Ace, and Esau Smith. (This final entry on Esau Smith appears to be an attempt by the author to prank readers. Tosches implies that Esau Smith was actually Elvis Presley’s stillborn twin brother Jesse Garon Presley who had survived to adulthood.)

My rating: 6/10 (downgraded because of the author’s gratuitous asshattery), finished 8/29/23 (3859).

[Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be charitable towards a man whom I genuinely respect, I will point out that this was one of Nick Tosches' first books. Tosches' tough-guy macho posturing is a weakness that runs through even his most mature works. This is why the gleefully dark mafia send-up Cut Numbers is so refreshing--he's not entirely serious. Still, does he really need to call Big Joe Turner a "fat fuck", though? And the callous dismissiveness of his narrative of Johnny Ace's sad end is just disappointing. That having been said, like all of Tosches' critical works, this is meticulously researched, full of priceless interviews with persons completely forgotten by all but the most fanatical collectors and crate-diggers (that would be amusing, a Nick Tosches DJ set at some club in Hoboken or something, his blasted countenace nodding witheringly into a cupped earphone, omnipresent cigarette strewing ash all over the mixer. That I would pay money for). Tosches also has an amazing ability to quote classical and medieval sources in the context of pop music criticism in a manner that reads as not only unpretentious, but perfectly apt. All in all, a prett darn good book written by a guy who is a hell of a lot smarter than most of us.

[Devi Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this superb book in the 1980's, and it had a profound impact on my life. For anyone interested in music history and 20th century American culture it's required reading.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 1984, an informal and funny look at R&B and hillbilly roots of rock, circa 1940-1956. Lots of leads to search out new-to-me music and performers. Covers about 25 people or groups. About 150 pages plus 100 pages of discography. Got it from library; would be a good book to own for reference.

[Jerstyn Morehay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Tosches profiles twenty-five performers and groups of the postwar era, predating Elvis and with less recognition than Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, et. al., encompassing country, blues, white, and black, who pioneered a jumped-up style of pumpin' 'n' grindin' music later called rock 'n' roll. Tosches dispels many of the myths and more common narratives surrounding the music, including the origin of the name (which dates back to the 1920s), and give these lowdown and dirty dreamers their just due. If the last chapter, on one "Esau Smith", doesn't leave you howling with laughter, I don't want to know you.

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The combination of the writing talents of Nick Tosches with rock n' roll is a treat. Here we go beyond Elvis as ground zero for American rock n' roll. Tosches goes beyond Elvis that is almost myth-like. Essential book on the roots of rock - and basically beyond.

[Eric Cecil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[Rob Branigin · Rating 3 out of 5]

the "look at me i'm flippant" tone gets old after about...uh two or three WORDS, but worth a look anyway.

[Dennis Willingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short bios of some lesser known personalities of the pre-Elvis era.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not among Tosches' best, but this collection of short vignettes is a fun, quick read. A good starting point to dig into some old fashioned rock badassery.

[Alex McDonough · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really incredible biographies of sub-legendary figures you won’t find anywhere else. Unfortunately couched in a very irritating macho rhetoric that feels dismissive and righteous towards the men and tastelessly horny towards the women. These people deserved better than to be eulogized so crassly but I am happy that they were eulogized at all. And yes, I suppose it is very rock and roll to think of these stories as just another page in the Americana Bible, but it does make for an exhausting read despite the short chapters.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not hate this quite as much as his book Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock and Roll (which should have been titled: Minstrelsy and Other Assorted Genres: The Twisted Roots of Country). I was very hopeful when I saw that he put discographies for each of the profiled artists, and might avoid the horribly annoying style of "and the [artist:] recorded [song:] in [year:] for [label:]", but soon found my hopes dashed on the rocks below, and I cried and cried. Well, not literally, but I just wanted it to be soooo much better. Because some of my very very favorite artists are profiled in this book. I picked it up originally to get some information on the Treniers, but it wasn't very helpful (if folks have better sources they can suggest, please please please let me know).
OK, confession time- I didn't finish it. But after the first 5 chapters or so my level of annoyance reached fever pitch so I only read the remaining [scant:] chapters on the artists I was interested in. And found them to be somewhere in the area of 3-5 pages each. Which would have been fine if he had tried to express the gestalt of the artist in question, but generally it seemed to be a list of information from the Encyclopedia Britannica (born in [year:], grew up in [place:], etc. etc.) and discographies. It was really boring for the general reader. If you're a record collector, though, it's probably a really cool resource.
When he gets beyond his didactic/kinda overly hipster attitude of the-people-you've-heard-of-aren't-cool-because-you're-just-a-tool-of-Colonel-Parker-you-mindless-pig thing, and the record geek thing, he's really very very funny, and I wish I'd seen more of that in his writing. One shining moment of what I read: his profile of Screamin' Jay Hawkins. It was so human, and wonderful.
OK, I will NOT feel guilty for not finishing this book.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really torn about this one. As an annotated discography, it's pretty thorough. But CDs go in and out of print pretty rapidly in the case of this specialized music. More up-to-date online resources can be consulted if you're looking for discographies or recommended listening.

As a discography, Unsung Heroes was bound to lose its luster eventually, but what about its literary merits? Well, as a cover-to-cover read, it leaves much to be desired, being basically a series of chronologies, with serious proper-noun overload. Every record label, nightclub, producer, label boss, backing musician, and disc jockey gets a namecheck, not to mention more individual records than anyone could possibly keep track of (or would need to, what with the discography). It often feels like reading a list.

With more than two dozen profiles of musicians major and minor, I'd hoped more of them would've stood out. With a few exceptions - including Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Jesse Stone, Wynonie Harris, and especially the wonderful "is he fact or is he fiction" tale of Esau Smith - the individual chapters are mostly the same thing over and over, with proper nouns changed out. What's good is fantastic; what's okay is dully repetitive.

Of course, I'd be lying if I said Unsung Heroes didn't send me back to my record collection for some of the Dominoes, the Clovers, Wynonie Harris, Wanda Jackson, the Midnighters, Big Joe Turner, and - although Tosches doesn't think all that highly of him and he doesn't even get his own chapter (not that he needs it) - Elvis Presley. And that counts for something.

[Abe Something · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets better as it moves along. At first the book is very much a simple survey of some of early Rock and Roll's cast but, by about the halfway point, Tosches does eventually insert some personality into his writing and it becomes more interesting. You may very well be tempted to put the book down before after a few of the initial musician bios but, if you stick with it you will begin to find more interesting character sketches and fewer lists of who recorded what, when, and for what label (though that stuff is important!)

A couple of notes: This is Tosches first book - if you didn't like this, know that he gets better. And, this book is comprised of short 3-10 page bios of these early R'n'R heroes - it isn't a historical narrative.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some great stories in this book, told with some offbeat humor. It goes to show that nobody invented rock 'n' roll. It was developing all over the country for years befo0re Elvis came along. Definitely makes me want to go out and track down some of these songs. The "what's available on CD" section at the end is not much help this many years after the book was published, though.
There were a few things that kept it from being a really great book. I wish the stories of the "heroes" did not end with that B.S. Esau Smith story. And too much time, in my opinion, was spent in the narratives listing who signed with what record company, and what singles they released - especially since this was covered in a very detailed index.

[Crowey]

Probably most accessible, and, I suspect, most accurate history of early days of rock and roll - and all done with great humour. I love the fact that he demonstrates quite well that rock and roll (or, perhaps more accurately, a rock and roll attitude) was around well before Elvis, Chuck, Little Richard, Fats Domino, etc took off. He brings wonderful performers like Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris, Charles Brown, Amos Milburn, etc to the fore, where they belong. And it has an awesome discography that I fully intend to mine.

[Craigtator · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was expecting more humor than just a few snarky comments. Other than the snark, it's a pretty pedestrian recitation of songs and biographies. I did come out of it with some new songs to add to my list

[Mills College Library]

781.66092 T713 1999

[Eric Olson]

This is my rock-n-roll bible!