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HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL, PART I
Ed Ward covers the first half of the history of rock & roll in this sweeping and definitive narrative―from the 1920s, when the music of rambling medicine shows mingled with the songs of vaudeville and minstrel acts to create the very early sounds of country and rhythm and blues, to the rise of the first independent record labels post-World War II, and concluding in December 1963, just as an immense change in the airwaves took hold and the Beatles prepared for their first American tour. The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1 shines a light on the far corners of the genre to reveal the stories behind the hugely influential artists who changed the musical landscape forever.
In this first volume of a two-part series, Ward shares his endless depth of knowledge and through engrossing storytelling hops seamlessly from Memphis to Chicago, Detroit, England, New York, and everywhere in between. He covers the trajectories of the big name acts like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles, while also filling in gaps of knowledge and celebrating forgotten heroes such as the Burnette brothers, the “5” Royales, and Marion Keisker, Sam Phillips’s assistant, who played an integral part in launching Elvis’s career.
For all music lovers and rock & roll fans, Ward spins story after story of some of the most unforgettable and groundbreaking moments in rock history, introducing us along the way to the musicians, DJs, record executives, and producers who were at the forefront of the genre and had a hand in creating the music we all know and love today.
In this first volume of a two-part series, Ward shares his endless depth of knowledge and through engrossing storytelling hops seamlessly from Memphis to Chicago, Detroit, England, New York, and everywhere in between. He covers the trajectories of the big name acts like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles, while also filling in gaps of knowledge and celebrating forgotten heroes such as the Burnette brothers, the “5” Royales, and Marion Keisker, Sam Phillips’s assistant, who played an integral part in launching Elvis’s career.
For all music lovers and rock & roll fans, Ward spins story after story of some of the most unforgettable and groundbreaking moments in rock history, introducing us along the way to the musicians, DJs, record executives, and producers who were at the forefront of the genre and had a hand in creating the music we all know and love today.
416 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
December 13, 2017
Since Ward has been a writer for Creem, Rolling Stone, The New York Times and NPR, and even co-authored the Rolling Stone coffee-table book Rock of Ages, it's obvious the man can be definitive. Nevertheless, this book is not definitive in the exhaustive, thud-factor 1000-pager sense, even when we take into account that this is the first of two volumes. Instead, it's an individualist, more or less chronological account of rock and roll since the Neolithic era.
Because of the relative brevity (which may have been imposed by the publisher), Ward can be a little too rushed at times. He admirably wants to include as many lesser musicians and smaller record labels as possible, but certain segments of the 1950s can go by like a laundry list, with the reader confused about the players. Nevertheless, this is a worthy and in some senses very necessary book for the music lover.
Those traditional narrative readers who simply enjoy good stories will love the early histories of both Beatles and Rolling Stones (and there are tales of people like Mona Best and Brian Epstein which will never end up in Beatles authorized history, for damned sure). They'll also like the stories of Buddy Holly's valiant efforts to get a scene started in Lubbock, TX, or Chuck Berry's continued problems with the law. He also surprises us by mentioning names like Nat King Cole and Ornette Coleman as associated with "jump blues" in their early careers. But Ward's best effort comes not in the storytelling, but in the integrative historical narrative.
For the history buff, Ward is careful to concentrate on lesser-known eras not familiar to most music fans. It is no accident he begins his chronology in 1920, as he shows how the evolution of blues, jazz, and deep country in regional markets created a nationwide rock and roll movement from the ground up. In fact, the name "rock and roll" did not come from Alan Freed in 1953, but seems to have been in regular use since the 1930s. Ward shows how the changing availability of 78 rpm shellac records, and their 33 and 45 rpm vinyl follow-ons, helped to drive both jukebox culture and home listening. And he points out the role of high-wattage AM "clear channel" stations in turning regional rockabilly markets into national ones.
Ward also dissects the slumping "dark ages" of rock and roll, 1958-61, and does more than most writers to uncover the sociological roots. He blames certain "suits" at labels like Chancellor for promoting safe white singers, usually Italian-Americans, like Fabian, Frankie Avalon, and Connie Francis, to replace the ruffians. (He could have mentioned the Mafia roots of many of these characters, except for the fact that Mafia money was also behind NYC's Peppermint Lounge, which shows that organized crime had a finger in all sides of the "rock and roll as rough trade" debate.) Ward also says that rock and roll's original fans, who were teenagers in the mid-1950s, grew up and discovered hi-fi audio in college, and went to either a highbrow jazz market, or a bohemian folk music market by the turn of the decade. This explains why few college-age and young adult listeners grasped The Beatles craze when it first emerged. It also explains why many younger folkies joined Pete Seeger in calling Bob Dylan a "Judas" when he went electric in 1965. The generation gap between teens and 20-somethings was more pronounced than it is today, and many young adults felt they had "grown up and moved past" that silly rock and roll. Silly them. (It is also true that there is an entire cycling of music-fan generations every five years or so, and far too many people stop listening to popular music after college years, causing some today to be nostalgic about the 1990s or 2000s, even though they never listen to any music that is newer.)
Ward's desire to pull together every possible thread woven into the fabric of rock and roll can make the narrative seem jumpy at times, as he bounces through advances in folk, jazz, country, and blues. But ultimately, this helps to create a stronger and more colorful fabric. This is visible at the end of the book. It would be easy to simply end with The Beatles' first appearance on Ed Sullivan in February 1964, when the world of the young changed forever. That would be too easy a target, and more appropriate for a Beatles biography. Instead, Ward ends with the assassination of JFK at the end of 1963, showing how many music subcultures worldwide responded to this. After all, Beatlemania had a position of primacy in 1964, but many musical dams burst at the end of 1963, and were all responsible in part for the floods that followed. Ward wants to be sure to cover each tributary and flood channel as he prepares the reader for Volume 2.
Because of the relative brevity (which may have been imposed by the publisher), Ward can be a little too rushed at times. He admirably wants to include as many lesser musicians and smaller record labels as possible, but certain segments of the 1950s can go by like a laundry list, with the reader confused about the players. Nevertheless, this is a worthy and in some senses very necessary book for the music lover.
Those traditional narrative readers who simply enjoy good stories will love the early histories of both Beatles and Rolling Stones (and there are tales of people like Mona Best and Brian Epstein which will never end up in Beatles authorized history, for damned sure). They'll also like the stories of Buddy Holly's valiant efforts to get a scene started in Lubbock, TX, or Chuck Berry's continued problems with the law. He also surprises us by mentioning names like Nat King Cole and Ornette Coleman as associated with "jump blues" in their early careers. But Ward's best effort comes not in the storytelling, but in the integrative historical narrative.
For the history buff, Ward is careful to concentrate on lesser-known eras not familiar to most music fans. It is no accident he begins his chronology in 1920, as he shows how the evolution of blues, jazz, and deep country in regional markets created a nationwide rock and roll movement from the ground up. In fact, the name "rock and roll" did not come from Alan Freed in 1953, but seems to have been in regular use since the 1930s. Ward shows how the changing availability of 78 rpm shellac records, and their 33 and 45 rpm vinyl follow-ons, helped to drive both jukebox culture and home listening. And he points out the role of high-wattage AM "clear channel" stations in turning regional rockabilly markets into national ones.
Ward also dissects the slumping "dark ages" of rock and roll, 1958-61, and does more than most writers to uncover the sociological roots. He blames certain "suits" at labels like Chancellor for promoting safe white singers, usually Italian-Americans, like Fabian, Frankie Avalon, and Connie Francis, to replace the ruffians. (He could have mentioned the Mafia roots of many of these characters, except for the fact that Mafia money was also behind NYC's Peppermint Lounge, which shows that organized crime had a finger in all sides of the "rock and roll as rough trade" debate.) Ward also says that rock and roll's original fans, who were teenagers in the mid-1950s, grew up and discovered hi-fi audio in college, and went to either a highbrow jazz market, or a bohemian folk music market by the turn of the decade. This explains why few college-age and young adult listeners grasped The Beatles craze when it first emerged. It also explains why many younger folkies joined Pete Seeger in calling Bob Dylan a "Judas" when he went electric in 1965. The generation gap between teens and 20-somethings was more pronounced than it is today, and many young adults felt they had "grown up and moved past" that silly rock and roll. Silly them. (It is also true that there is an entire cycling of music-fan generations every five years or so, and far too many people stop listening to popular music after college years, causing some today to be nostalgic about the 1990s or 2000s, even though they never listen to any music that is newer.)
Ward's desire to pull together every possible thread woven into the fabric of rock and roll can make the narrative seem jumpy at times, as he bounces through advances in folk, jazz, country, and blues. But ultimately, this helps to create a stronger and more colorful fabric. This is visible at the end of the book. It would be easy to simply end with The Beatles' first appearance on Ed Sullivan in February 1964, when the world of the young changed forever. That would be too easy a target, and more appropriate for a Beatles biography. Instead, Ward ends with the assassination of JFK at the end of 1963, showing how many music subcultures worldwide responded to this. After all, Beatlemania had a position of primacy in 1964, but many musical dams burst at the end of 1963, and were all responsible in part for the floods that followed. Ward wants to be sure to cover each tributary and flood channel as he prepares the reader for Volume 2.
February 27, 2017
This isn't your fannish remembrance, nor is it your 'In Their Own Words' personal history. It's actually a chronology, and a highly detailed one at that. Ward shows that rock didn't just pop up overnight with Bill Haley, but is rather the end result of a couple of decades' worth of different genres, from country and blues to folk to gospel, morphing and evolving as it expanded across both the US and the UK. And it's not just the music, either -- it's the performances (both live and on radio, and later on television) that influenced local sounds and vice versa.
Ward deftly interweaves numerous music scenes and fads together over the course of these forty-plus years, right up until Christmas 1963, when The Beatles finally break in the US on a major label. It's a wonderful book that I'm quite sure I'll read again in the future.
Ward deftly interweaves numerous music scenes and fads together over the course of these forty-plus years, right up until Christmas 1963, when The Beatles finally break in the US on a major label. It's a wonderful book that I'm quite sure I'll read again in the future.
March 18, 2023
Loved it.
Great book.
Great experience.
I was born in 1967.
As such, I grew up in a post Sargent Pepper’s, post LSD (SP/LSD) world. Given the amount of change and novelty that has occurred between then and now, and considering the overwhelming volume of BOOMER nostalgia my generation (GEN-X) was subjected to, one could be forgiven if they (like myself) felt like history began with the summer of love.
Well.
It OBVIOUSLY didn’t.
As such, I have been making a concerted effort to more thoroughly explore the history of modern music lately.
I just read Ted Gioia’s: How To Listen To Jazz (HTLTJ) and The History Of Jazz (HOJ). Both excellent books.
One of the things that HTLTJ and HOJ made clear, was how Jazz emerged from, and was was shaped by the technological, cultural, socioeconomic and political advancements and challenges of the time.
Most prominently: radio, recording technology, and racism (the 3 R’s), but also stuff like abstract expressionism, atonal music, the Great Depression, and WWI&II. All that (and more) contributed something to Jazz, and set the stage for rock and roll (R&R) to emerge and eventually go global.
One of the recent technological advances (not mentioned in these books) is streaming. Both HTLTJ and HOJ have dedicated Spotify playlists. Music streaming has enabled a (nearly) LIMITLESS exploration of what music insiders are recently calling “catalog” (meaning music that is not new).
In short, music streaming is enabling a type of music consumption that is categorically different than way way back in days when you needed to buy, beg, borrow or steal records and/or CD’s).
Yes that is obvious.
But (I think) the full impact that music streaming will have on the next chapter of music history has yet to be fully understood. And (I think) it’s going to be HUGE.
HUGER THAN HUGE!
From my vantage. The ability to listen to EVERY artist referenced in HTLTJ and HOJ, at no additional cost, and at my complete convenience is (for lack of a better phrase) A GAME CHANGER, that will certainly be as important to the future history of music as radio, recording, amplification, and later multitrack and stereo recording, and (of course) digital editing were to the history of music prior.
Streaming made HTLTJ and HOJ authentically LIFE AND MIND altering experiences for me. As such, I simply HAD to matriculate to this book: The History Of Rock & Roll (HOR&R)
And it has been similarly enriching.
Before reading HOR&R, I found it extremely difficult to relate to R&R from before 1965 (with a few notable exceptions).
After reading the HOR&R (and more importantly, listening to all of that music), starting with Jazz and Blues, and progressing through rhythm and blues (R&B), step by step, though to rockabilly, soul, and the British Invasion has opened my mind and ears to the pre-SP/LSD universe.
Most importantly (for me), I gained an REAL (authentic and new) appreciation for the early R&B roots of R&R. Listening to R&B now, in this context, it’s ABSOLUTELY clear how fresh and exciting that music was (and still is).
I also gained an appreciation for what Elvis and rockabilly brought to the R&R equation. But most prominently. After reading this, and listening to the music. Step by step. It is WAY more apparent to me, just how ELECTRIFYING the early (pre SP/LSD) Beatles were.
Listening to their early recordings (again) from within the historical context and in comparison to the R&R of the time was third eye and third ear opening.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer.
The Beatles were a QUANTUM leap.
None of this is new information (of course).
But (for me) it was a new experience.
This book ends with Beatlemania.
And rightly so.
Volume 2 begins with psychedelia and soul.
And that’s where I’m headed next.
One (sort of) complaint I have with this text is it lacks the critical depth and rigor of the afore mentioned HTLTJ and HOJ. That is (somewhat) apropos, given that early R&R was a distinctly (almost self-consciously) un-intellectual endeavor.
Given that, I still dug the fuck out of HOR&R.
So…
No points deducted (or fucks given).
Great book 5/5 stars ⭐️
Now on to volume 2!
Great book.
Great experience.
I was born in 1967.
As such, I grew up in a post Sargent Pepper’s, post LSD (SP/LSD) world. Given the amount of change and novelty that has occurred between then and now, and considering the overwhelming volume of BOOMER nostalgia my generation (GEN-X) was subjected to, one could be forgiven if they (like myself) felt like history began with the summer of love.
Well.
It OBVIOUSLY didn’t.
As such, I have been making a concerted effort to more thoroughly explore the history of modern music lately.
I just read Ted Gioia’s: How To Listen To Jazz (HTLTJ) and The History Of Jazz (HOJ). Both excellent books.
One of the things that HTLTJ and HOJ made clear, was how Jazz emerged from, and was was shaped by the technological, cultural, socioeconomic and political advancements and challenges of the time.
Most prominently: radio, recording technology, and racism (the 3 R’s), but also stuff like abstract expressionism, atonal music, the Great Depression, and WWI&II. All that (and more) contributed something to Jazz, and set the stage for rock and roll (R&R) to emerge and eventually go global.
One of the recent technological advances (not mentioned in these books) is streaming. Both HTLTJ and HOJ have dedicated Spotify playlists. Music streaming has enabled a (nearly) LIMITLESS exploration of what music insiders are recently calling “catalog” (meaning music that is not new).
In short, music streaming is enabling a type of music consumption that is categorically different than way way back in days when you needed to buy, beg, borrow or steal records and/or CD’s).
Yes that is obvious.
But (I think) the full impact that music streaming will have on the next chapter of music history has yet to be fully understood. And (I think) it’s going to be HUGE.
HUGER THAN HUGE!
From my vantage. The ability to listen to EVERY artist referenced in HTLTJ and HOJ, at no additional cost, and at my complete convenience is (for lack of a better phrase) A GAME CHANGER, that will certainly be as important to the future history of music as radio, recording, amplification, and later multitrack and stereo recording, and (of course) digital editing were to the history of music prior.
Streaming made HTLTJ and HOJ authentically LIFE AND MIND altering experiences for me. As such, I simply HAD to matriculate to this book: The History Of Rock & Roll (HOR&R)
And it has been similarly enriching.
Before reading HOR&R, I found it extremely difficult to relate to R&R from before 1965 (with a few notable exceptions).
After reading the HOR&R (and more importantly, listening to all of that music), starting with Jazz and Blues, and progressing through rhythm and blues (R&B), step by step, though to rockabilly, soul, and the British Invasion has opened my mind and ears to the pre-SP/LSD universe.
Most importantly (for me), I gained an REAL (authentic and new) appreciation for the early R&B roots of R&R. Listening to R&B now, in this context, it’s ABSOLUTELY clear how fresh and exciting that music was (and still is).
I also gained an appreciation for what Elvis and rockabilly brought to the R&R equation. But most prominently. After reading this, and listening to the music. Step by step. It is WAY more apparent to me, just how ELECTRIFYING the early (pre SP/LSD) Beatles were.
Listening to their early recordings (again) from within the historical context and in comparison to the R&R of the time was third eye and third ear opening.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer.
The Beatles were a QUANTUM leap.
None of this is new information (of course).
But (for me) it was a new experience.
This book ends with Beatlemania.
And rightly so.
Volume 2 begins with psychedelia and soul.
And that’s where I’m headed next.
One (sort of) complaint I have with this text is it lacks the critical depth and rigor of the afore mentioned HTLTJ and HOJ. That is (somewhat) apropos, given that early R&R was a distinctly (almost self-consciously) un-intellectual endeavor.
Given that, I still dug the fuck out of HOR&R.
So…
No points deducted (or fucks given).
Great book 5/5 stars ⭐️
Now on to volume 2!
December 13, 2024
"In mid-nineteenth-century rural Southern America, which is as good a place as any to start this story, music wasn’t something you did..."
I have been a huge music fan since childhood, so I'll read almost any book about the topic I come across. Unfortunately, despite being excited to start The History of Rock & Roll, the end product did not do it for me. The story of the history of Rock and Roll music is rich with exciting material. A genre of music that literally spawned the trope of the out of control, over-the-top hedonistic Rock Star. Unfortunately, an exciting story was not told here. More below.
Author Edmund Ward (November 2, 1948 – May 3, 2021) was an American writer and radio commentator, the "rock-and-roll historian" for NPR's program Fresh Air from 1987 to 2017 and one of the original founders of Austin's South by Southwest music festival.
Ed Ward:
The book opens with a slow intro, that proved to be a harbinger for the rest of the writing to follow. The author begins the book with the quote above, and it continues:
Ward writes with a style here that could only be accurately described as lackluster. I place a high premium on how readable my books are, and sadly, this one really missed the mark for me...
I found most of the book to be lacking narrative continuity as well. It has a terrible flow. Although the writing proceeds in a chronological manner, there's nothing tying it together. The author rattles off a virtual never-ending torrent of names, dates, and places; over and over and over again. Rinse and repeat. I am not a fan of writing like this. UGH...
********************
The History of Rock & Roll was a long, boring and tedious read. I was close to putting it down numerous times. Too bad, as the author wrote a sequel that I was planning on reading. I may have to reconsider that now...
I would not recommend this one. Even encyclopedia articles are more engaging than the writing here.
1.5 stars.
I have been a huge music fan since childhood, so I'll read almost any book about the topic I come across. Unfortunately, despite being excited to start The History of Rock & Roll, the end product did not do it for me. The story of the history of Rock and Roll music is rich with exciting material. A genre of music that literally spawned the trope of the out of control, over-the-top hedonistic Rock Star. Unfortunately, an exciting story was not told here. More below.
Author Edmund Ward (November 2, 1948 – May 3, 2021) was an American writer and radio commentator, the "rock-and-roll historian" for NPR's program Fresh Air from 1987 to 2017 and one of the original founders of Austin's South by Southwest music festival.
Ed Ward:
The book opens with a slow intro, that proved to be a harbinger for the rest of the writing to follow. The author begins the book with the quote above, and it continues:
"...Or, rather, it could have been just one of the things you did, if you did it, like smoking hams, mending the roof and the fences, and hoeing the vegetable patch.
Black or white, Northern or Southern, rural life consisted of one job after another, just to stay alive. Sometimes, particularly among African Americans, music accompanied work, as it also did among sailors or excavating crews. “Field hollers” may have been African survivals, and recordings of prisoners in the fields doing agricultural work, giving off with whoops and pieces of melody, sound eerie to our ears."
Ward writes with a style here that could only be accurately described as lackluster. I place a high premium on how readable my books are, and sadly, this one really missed the mark for me...
I found most of the book to be lacking narrative continuity as well. It has a terrible flow. Although the writing proceeds in a chronological manner, there's nothing tying it together. The author rattles off a virtual never-ending torrent of names, dates, and places; over and over and over again. Rinse and repeat. I am not a fan of writing like this. UGH...
********************
The History of Rock & Roll was a long, boring and tedious read. I was close to putting it down numerous times. Too bad, as the author wrote a sequel that I was planning on reading. I may have to reconsider that now...
I would not recommend this one. Even encyclopedia articles are more engaging than the writing here.
1.5 stars.
March 3, 2017
There is a great deal of information in this book. History of rock and roll, who would not be interested. Of course, this being the first volume, covers the beginnings up to 1963. Depending on your personal preference this would be the most interesting period or the best is yet to come.
Still this book is just set up in a very poor way. It is like talking to a chronic name dropper. Basically for three hundred pages we read about this happened, then in Chicago this singer from this band released this song. This led to this singer in Philadelphia doing this. It is a very haphazard way of doing things.
One does get a great deal of information. While reading I created a playlist on Spotify of 200 songs mentioned in the book. It is a strong listen of the history of early rock and roll and its various influences. And, while I think the book could have been organized much better, there are strong sections on the rise of Sun Records, Sam Phillips and Elvis, Motown, legends such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard, as well as the Payola scandal.
An interesting read with good information, but could have been so much better
Still this book is just set up in a very poor way. It is like talking to a chronic name dropper. Basically for three hundred pages we read about this happened, then in Chicago this singer from this band released this song. This led to this singer in Philadelphia doing this. It is a very haphazard way of doing things.
One does get a great deal of information. While reading I created a playlist on Spotify of 200 songs mentioned in the book. It is a strong listen of the history of early rock and roll and its various influences. And, while I think the book could have been organized much better, there are strong sections on the rise of Sun Records, Sam Phillips and Elvis, Motown, legends such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard, as well as the Payola scandal.
An interesting read with good information, but could have been so much better
November 6, 2017
I'm going to be able to make an amazing playlist from this book.
Having said that, I was hoping for more of a social history of Rock and Roll--what made it so popular and what drove the evolution from one sound to another. You get a bit of that in here, but it often feels like the author sacrifices narrative for detail. A lot of space is devoted to who released which song when and where did it go on the charts and who discovered who and how. The detail overload made it hard to understand the impact each person was having and track their trajectory over time.
Still, I'm looking forward to vol. 2 (and making another amazing playlist).
Having said that, I was hoping for more of a social history of Rock and Roll--what made it so popular and what drove the evolution from one sound to another. You get a bit of that in here, but it often feels like the author sacrifices narrative for detail. A lot of space is devoted to who released which song when and where did it go on the charts and who discovered who and how. The detail overload made it hard to understand the impact each person was having and track their trajectory over time.
Still, I'm looking forward to vol. 2 (and making another amazing playlist).
June 23, 2016
This is a great, fun book by Ed Ward, an Austinite, correspondent for NPR's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, and one of the founders of SXSW. Running from 1920 to 1963, almost every chapter is devoted to a single year and the songs that were recorded and/or released during said year. It's a broad survey that substitutes breadth for depth but doesn't cut out the entertainment factor. It reads like the 300 page liner notes for a 1.000 song boxset and, as a music nerd, that is one of the best compliments I can give!
December 14, 2016
Don't try to read this book while you're sitting next to someone who's trying to get some work done — you'll keep wanting to interrupt them to share an amazing thing you've just discovered about rock and roll history. I reviewed The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1 for The Current.
December 31, 2021
Great survey of the birth of rock and roll that builds to a climax with Elvis recording at Sun Studios that actually gave me chills!
March 5, 2017
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Ed Ward has crammed an encyclopedia's worth of information into 380 pages. Page after page, I found myself saying, "Hey, I know of that guy. So that's where he came from." Or "I didn't know so-and-so did that." Or "I remember that song! No wonder I liked it so much when it came out."
Sometimes Ward teases and lets the reader play along, as when he tells of Carl Perkins evaluating a kid Sam Phillips had just signed, one Gene Craddock. The reader can exercise his memory or wait a few pages and find out he performed as .
The "drinking from a firehose" analogy might be overused, but it applies to this book 100%. Almost every paragraph is so chock full of relevant detail, it's nearly overwhelming.
I got this book from our local public library, as I do most of the books I read. This one is going on my "want" list - very unusual. It's that impressive.
I look forward to Volume 2.
PS- As another reviewer correctly stated, the book does contain some errors of fact. For example, Ward states that the committee investigating the payola scandal was Orrin Hatch, not Oren Harris (D-Arkansas). This bothered me a little bit, but overall I still give the book 5 stars.
Sometimes Ward teases and lets the reader play along, as when he tells of Carl Perkins evaluating a kid Sam Phillips had just signed, one Gene Craddock. The reader can exercise his memory or wait a few pages and find out he performed as .
The "drinking from a firehose" analogy might be overused, but it applies to this book 100%. Almost every paragraph is so chock full of relevant detail, it's nearly overwhelming.
I got this book from our local public library, as I do most of the books I read. This one is going on my "want" list - very unusual. It's that impressive.
I look forward to Volume 2.
PS- As another reviewer correctly stated, the book does contain some errors of fact. For example, Ward states that the committee investigating the payola scandal was Orrin Hatch, not Oren Harris (D-Arkansas). This bothered me a little bit, but overall I still give the book 5 stars.
January 27, 2017
I was really impressed with this book. Ward moves at a brisk pace, which at times can be dizzying, but in a way he has given us a Domesday Book on the foundations of Rock & Roll. This is not exactly history from the bottom up, but he does go to great lengths to include the people behind the scenes. There's plenty of Elvis and Buddy and Chuck, so fear not, but there are so many books written on those figures already, Ward chooses, instead, to place them in the greater context of the cultural forces of their times.
I also enjoyed how Ward introduces key players in R&R history from their humble origins, he gives you a bit of Paul Harvey's "And now you know the rest of the story..." treatment to many famous performers, notably James Brown.
Ward does throw a lot of information at you, but enjoy it. Read slowly. Have a laptop at hand to call up some of the more obscure artists and producers he introduces you to. I know I'll be dipping back into this book from time to time.
I also enjoyed how Ward introduces key players in R&R history from their humble origins, he gives you a bit of Paul Harvey's "And now you know the rest of the story..." treatment to many famous performers, notably James Brown.
Ward does throw a lot of information at you, but enjoy it. Read slowly. Have a laptop at hand to call up some of the more obscure artists and producers he introduces you to. I know I'll be dipping back into this book from time to time.
March 10, 2018
This was an excellent read. As a lover of rock music, I've read many books on the subject, so for a book to tell so many stories that are new to me was surprising.
I can't wait for Volume 2
I can't wait for Volume 2
July 13, 2019
Catnip for me. I’ve read a few biographies of musicians and enjoyed them. This was my first music history book and I loved it. Of course, I’m super in to the music of the 50s and 60s. So there’s that. Can’t wait for Volume 2!
January 8, 2020
1-2020. Fun history of Rock and roll through the end of 1963. I’ll read the rest in this series. Tons of info and trivia to entertain the music junkie that I am. We end this volume with the Beatles conquering England, and only months from Ed Sullivan and the American conquest.
March 12, 2017
This fact-filled romp through time moves along at a steady pace, but not for me, the reader. I was compelled to stop and listen to many tracks as I made the journey through the book. So it took me awhile to finish reading it. Loved the little anecdotes tucked in here and there. I look forward to reading Volume Two.
February 21, 2017
Full of information but read too much like an encyclopedia.
December 2, 2021
I finished this book this morning and found out that the author had died just a few days ago. What a loss! His books reminded me of Joel Selvin's semi-legendary history of rock 'n' roll classes at San Francisco State. A huge body of expertise, far exceeding what typical garden-variety rock music mavens think they know about the form. It seems likely that Mr. Ward (who spent a number of years in the Bay Area) and Mr. Selvin knew and learned from a lot of the same "deep files".
How to read Ed Ward's books:
Don't be intimidated by his long, information-rich paragraphs. Do read a little every night, if that's how you need to do it (might be better to own the copy, as opposed to taking one out from the library.) Also do take advantage of the underappreciated miracle of streaming, and follow relevant Ed Ward playlists. Music-writing can be a disconcerting mix of abstract and concrete (inasmuch as music can even be concrete) and having the huge number of tunes mentioned in his books playing in the background will help make it real, and maybe introduce you to stuff you'll like.
Kudos to Ward for not stinting on Black music, which is a common problem in books of this type. Also, for unsentimentally recording the business ups and downs of music. I think Ward could have found more in jazz that fed into the development of rock: the playing of the short-lived Charlie Christian, for one, and certainly the emergence of the drum soloist in the 1930s. As you might guess from the subtitle, this book ends on the eve of the British Invasion. Ward's prose seems to find another gear with an excellent retelling of the Beatles' formative years.
RIP
How to read Ed Ward's books:
Don't be intimidated by his long, information-rich paragraphs. Do read a little every night, if that's how you need to do it (might be better to own the copy, as opposed to taking one out from the library.) Also do take advantage of the underappreciated miracle of streaming, and follow relevant Ed Ward playlists. Music-writing can be a disconcerting mix of abstract and concrete (inasmuch as music can even be concrete) and having the huge number of tunes mentioned in his books playing in the background will help make it real, and maybe introduce you to stuff you'll like.
Kudos to Ward for not stinting on Black music, which is a common problem in books of this type. Also, for unsentimentally recording the business ups and downs of music. I think Ward could have found more in jazz that fed into the development of rock: the playing of the short-lived Charlie Christian, for one, and certainly the emergence of the drum soloist in the 1930s. As you might guess from the subtitle, this book ends on the eve of the British Invasion. Ward's prose seems to find another gear with an excellent retelling of the Beatles' formative years.
RIP
June 15, 2017
Incredibly thorough and I'm sure I'll refer to it frequently. The trade-off is it reads like a textbook but it's a worthwhile trade-off.
February 21, 2020
It took a a chapter or two for me to really get into the book because this is quite literally a narrative of the music that forms the history of rock and roll. This is not a social history and, other than The Beatles and a bit about the Rolling Stones, we don't even get that much background about the bands or artists. However, once Ed Ward laid the groundwork, I found the book to be very compelling. His research is exhaustive and he does an admirable job of leading the reader from the blues and "race music" to the point where The Beatles are on the verge of superstardom. I am looking forward to Volume 2, which was released at the end of 2019.
October 9, 2016
Four-and-a-half stars really, and Goodreads should allow for half-stars. The first volume of Ward's history takes us up to the rise of the Beatles in 1963, and ends just before they arrive in New York in February, 1964. It's an ever so readable story about the people who started it all, and those who moved it forward. Ward does a terrific job of putting the music in the context of the times it appeared in, which is something I always look for in a book like this. I suppose the best thing I can say is that when I finished it I wished I had the second volume at hand so that I could continue reading. I hope it's not a long wait.
July 13, 2017
Disappointing. Author writes a really scattered narrative, giving you the data points but no comment on correlation.
How did the black music of the 1920's influence rock? If you squint really hard at this book, you can see it. Not what I would prefer. I was hoping for something that really spelled out how one influenced another and became rock and roll. This isn't the story of how rock came to be, it's simply stating facts in their most elemental form.
Because the author makes no effort at commentary, the reading is also very dry. There are a few really interesting stories sprinkled in, but not enough to make the reading pleasant.
How did the black music of the 1920's influence rock? If you squint really hard at this book, you can see it. Not what I would prefer. I was hoping for something that really spelled out how one influenced another and became rock and roll. This isn't the story of how rock came to be, it's simply stating facts in their most elemental form.
Because the author makes no effort at commentary, the reading is also very dry. There are a few really interesting stories sprinkled in, but not enough to make the reading pleasant.
September 22, 2018
(1 1/2) I was given this book as a gift by a friend who knows of my never ending quest for information and knowledge about music. This is primarily a book of lists. A few side stories here and there, but mostly just a compilation of what artist released what recording during what time period. Some of the country and r & b artists were a little obscure to me, but a great deal of it was familiar. The side stories were the same way. Good information, just a super dry presentation.
April 13, 2017
Like all expansive histories it hits too many points and thus misses the point. Knowing each session player on each record and each recording studio and not describing a single feel.
March 11, 2023
I forget where I saw this referenced, but I sought it out based on the strength of the reviews and its focus on those earliest years.
Ed Ward does a masterful job tracing the roots of rock to the various musical genres that precede it, coupling those trends with cultural focuses moving through America from technology to race.
I really liked seeing many familiar names at the beginning of their illustrious careers, be it Blues, R&B (or race), Jazz, and Folk.
The record and radio industries couldn't quite make out what to do with some of these performers or their songs, and their cluelessness is charming in its own way. But it also reinforces the William Goldman adage that "no one knows anything". It's impressive the intersectionalities of circumstance brought teen performers to notice, going from high school to the recording studio, Hard to imagine an 11-year old like Stevie Wonder getting the time of day unless he somehow made to a television talent show.
He wisely intersperses his year-by-year chapters with interludes that also nicely cover the trends in England, including the unique skiffle sound that gave rise to English Pop, separate from American pop. Watching skiffle give us the Liverpool sound that ultimately gave us the Beatles was welcome. We watch the formation of the Rolling Stones, and in the background is Eric Clapton ad Ray Davies.
We watch the revival of Folk and the coming of a new generation of troubadours, with Pet Seeger linking the past to the future. It's also interesting to imagine something like Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" getting top 40 airplay today when it hit the top 10 in 1961.
If the book is to be faulted for anything, sometimes Ward gives us lists of songs and performers without any real context, just the flavor of the moment. But, it's minor compared with the nmasterful distillation of so many events happening.
Ed Ward does a masterful job tracing the roots of rock to the various musical genres that precede it, coupling those trends with cultural focuses moving through America from technology to race.
I really liked seeing many familiar names at the beginning of their illustrious careers, be it Blues, R&B (or race), Jazz, and Folk.
The record and radio industries couldn't quite make out what to do with some of these performers or their songs, and their cluelessness is charming in its own way. But it also reinforces the William Goldman adage that "no one knows anything". It's impressive the intersectionalities of circumstance brought teen performers to notice, going from high school to the recording studio, Hard to imagine an 11-year old like Stevie Wonder getting the time of day unless he somehow made to a television talent show.
He wisely intersperses his year-by-year chapters with interludes that also nicely cover the trends in England, including the unique skiffle sound that gave rise to English Pop, separate from American pop. Watching skiffle give us the Liverpool sound that ultimately gave us the Beatles was welcome. We watch the formation of the Rolling Stones, and in the background is Eric Clapton ad Ray Davies.
We watch the revival of Folk and the coming of a new generation of troubadours, with Pet Seeger linking the past to the future. It's also interesting to imagine something like Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" getting top 40 airplay today when it hit the top 10 in 1961.
If the book is to be faulted for anything, sometimes Ward gives us lists of songs and performers without any real context, just the flavor of the moment. But, it's minor compared with the nmasterful distillation of so many events happening.
September 18, 2022
In this comprehensive series on the history of Rock & Roll, Ed Ward begins with the earliest blues players and sketches the first part of the twentieth century before the breakout decade of the 50s. As we get into the Rock & Roll era, Ward covers the electric blues players and country players who wrote and performed the first music that was called Roll & Roll. He also covers the distribution, popularization, and shifts in culture that led to superstars like Elvis. Ward is comprehensive covering both black and white artists and the issue of music being segregated as well as how influenced transcended race.
Ward obviously sees the Beatles as the punctuation point that all the history to that point leads to. I should mention that as "race" records cross the pond; Ward does a nice job of covering the rise of Skiffle and then Rock & Roll in Britain. Ward ends the book with an extended look at the influences that fuel the rise of the Beatles. He also begins the second volume with a serious study of the Beatles.
This is a general history. While Ward dwells on several key artists along the way, he mentions a lot of artists, some obscure and some household names. In the end, this is an excellent read with many fascinating details, connections, and stories. I recommend it for anyone interested in filling blanks or getting to know Rock & Roll and the people who created it.
Ward obviously sees the Beatles as the punctuation point that all the history to that point leads to. I should mention that as "race" records cross the pond; Ward does a nice job of covering the rise of Skiffle and then Rock & Roll in Britain. Ward ends the book with an extended look at the influences that fuel the rise of the Beatles. He also begins the second volume with a serious study of the Beatles.
This is a general history. While Ward dwells on several key artists along the way, he mentions a lot of artists, some obscure and some household names. In the end, this is an excellent read with many fascinating details, connections, and stories. I recommend it for anyone interested in filling blanks or getting to know Rock & Roll and the people who created it.
March 5, 2022
Well I found this book when I started looking for a history of popular music. While this book also explores the history of popular music, it is lacking a lot in terms of organization and theory. It starts out strong, with a few good chapters on Blues, and the technological changes of music listening, and geography, which spurned the beginnings of popular music. But after maybe the first 4 chapters, it seems to me that the author got lost in a sea of information, without any theory or organization to tie everything together. He tries, unsuccessfully to create a story regarding recorded music since the Blues up to 1963 with the appearance of the Beatles. Unfortunately, his narrative structure is so weak that it just becomes one big mess, with an occasional anecdote story he must have found elsewhere.... It is all very confusing. I understand you can't expect any author to do everything, but I wouldn't even use this book for reference as it is too messy and is clouded by the author's own judgement. What you get is someone who has fetishized music, and is vomiting his research all over the pages. I don't recommend... 2/5 stars.
October 25, 2017
For my personal reading and that of other music trivia geeks I give this book a 4. However, I only give it a two for those less knowledgeable about music hstory. Therefore an average of three. The problem is that names and events are dropped constantly and their significance isn't always made clear. For instance, Veronica Bennett along with her sister and cousin are prominently mentioned twice as professional dancers at the Peppermmint Lounge in the early 60's but the reader, if he/she doesn't already know, is left to ponder their significance because Ward never says who they later gained fame as (Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes).
On the positive side, this book is chock full of great information and the songs mentioned kept me busy on YouTube and Spotify. I discovered some new gems along the way. A couple of errors lowered my personal rating to a 4 but I am very glad I read this book.
I will reiterate (and try not to sound like a pompous ass doing it) that I highly recommend the book for those with a pretty good base of knowledge already but others should stay far, far away.
On the positive side, this book is chock full of great information and the songs mentioned kept me busy on YouTube and Spotify. I discovered some new gems along the way. A couple of errors lowered my personal rating to a 4 but I am very glad I read this book.
I will reiterate (and try not to sound like a pompous ass doing it) that I highly recommend the book for those with a pretty good base of knowledge already but others should stay far, far away.
February 20, 2023
Early American music was performed by non-professional field musicians as part of everyday life.
In the early 1900's music moved to the cities with minstrel and medicine shows, later ragtime, urban blues and jazz.
By the 1920's the rise of recorded music created early blues stars like Ma Rainey.
Record sales fell during the depression and WWII.
In the 1940's a market existed for jukeboxes and regional record labels formed and stars emerged, later shifting to big labels.
By the early 1950's, most records were bought and played by jukebox operators at night on clear channel radio shows sponsored by companies in exchange for advertising. Nashville adopted a gritier sound. Jerry Wexler convinced Billboard to rename "race records" R&B, encompassing a range of black music and later a new style emerged between blues and pop.
By the mid 1950's, white rock & roll became popular with teenagers, but blues by black musicians did not. By the late 1950's jazz, pop, and rock were all popular.
In the early 1900's music moved to the cities with minstrel and medicine shows, later ragtime, urban blues and jazz.
By the 1920's the rise of recorded music created early blues stars like Ma Rainey.
Record sales fell during the depression and WWII.
In the 1940's a market existed for jukeboxes and regional record labels formed and stars emerged, later shifting to big labels.
By the early 1950's, most records were bought and played by jukebox operators at night on clear channel radio shows sponsored by companies in exchange for advertising. Nashville adopted a gritier sound. Jerry Wexler convinced Billboard to rename "race records" R&B, encompassing a range of black music and later a new style emerged between blues and pop.
By the mid 1950's, white rock & roll became popular with teenagers, but blues by black musicians did not. By the late 1950's jazz, pop, and rock were all popular.
February 1, 2021
This was a fun read... There was a bit of pre-history that I didn't know, so getting that was good. There is a lot of info on the interconnections of the various groups and behind the scenes managers and record producers. Most of which started out as "mom & pop" operations. Given my age (kinda old), when we got to my awakening to music (around 1959-1960 and beyond) - it was fun to relive the hits, groups and singers as they emerged. Quite a bit of ink was devoted to the Beatles and then the Stones - which I guess is OK, but there was not enough about others that I know were in their embryonic stage. Perhaps that is in the next book.
On a more technical note: I found some of the grammar/phrasing to be little hard to read. It's correct grammar, but needlessly complex. Also there were more than a few typos, which combined with the grammar - can slow you down. Lastly, I found some of the paragraphs had a tendency to meander- jumping from one topic or group to another.
On a more technical note: I found some of the grammar/phrasing to be little hard to read. It's correct grammar, but needlessly complex. Also there were more than a few typos, which combined with the grammar - can slow you down. Lastly, I found some of the paragraphs had a tendency to meander- jumping from one topic or group to another.
May 29, 2017
This is an excellent history of the roots and early years of rock & roll. Ward does a good job of pulling together an amazing amount of information to create a coherent narrative of rock & roll history. There is a lot of detailed information here, which I love. The reader gets a clear sense of how rock & roll emerged from various types of music being performed and enjoyed around the country. The "cast of characters" is, of course, star-studded, from the earliest country singers to Elvis, Buddy Holly, the Beatles, and Motown. One of the astonishing threads of this story concerns the recording industry. I remember lots of different record labels back in the 1960's, but I had NO idea there were so many. For readers who like detailed history and who love early rock & roll, this is an enjoyable and informative book.
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