Turning Points in Rock and Roll

by Bordowitz, Hank

• ISBN13: 9780806526317
• ISBN10: 0806526319
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-01
• Publisher: Citadel

Summary

The history of rock and roll is a long and winding road full of unforgettable moments, but some of them provided more than magic memories: They triggered social and cultural revolutions. They radically changed the way music is performed and recorded. They altered our very perception of what popular music is. Written by a longtime industry insider and featuring interviews with over 100 key figures, Turning Points in Rock and Roll gives you a front-row seat to the pivotal events and breakthroughs of the past fifty-plus years in music. From the first great music festival at Monterey to the violence at Altamont that signaled the beginning of a new era, from Elvis's swiveling hips to Mick Jagger's pouting lips...it's all here -- the people and events that have kept rock and roll vibrant, vital, and constantly evolving in bold new directions. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Hank Bordowitz, a veteran music journalist with twenty-five years of experience, has edited dozens of magazines and earned critical acclaim for his first two books, Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival and The U2 Reader. He lives with his family in the suburbs of New York City

Table of Contents

Foreword by Dave Marsh	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction: Rock and the Voice of Post-1950 Youth	xv
Chapter 1: 1877-1977 Edison Invents the Phonograph: Recorded Music Goes from Science Fiction to Big Business	1	(12)
Chapter 2: 1936-37 Robert Johnson Makes Forty-one Recordings in Texas Hotel Rooms, Offices, and Warehouses	13	(10)
Chapter 3: 1946-55 Les Paul Invents the Solid-Body Electric Guitar, Close Miking, the Multitrack Studio, and a Bunch of Other Stuff	23	(11)
Chapter 4: 1952 "American Bandstand"	34	(12)
Chapter 5: 1953 Elvis Presley Strolls in to the Union Street Recording Studios in Memphis	46	(14)
Chapter 6: 1954 Alan Freed Changes the Name of His "Moondog's House" Radio Show to "The Rock and Roll Show"	60	(9)
Chapter 7: 1954 The Movie "Blackboard Jungle" Comes Out	69	(12)
Chapter 8: 1955-1982 From the Transistor Radio to the Cassette to the Compact Disc	81	(8)
Chapter 9: 1955 Chuck Berry Records "Maybellene"	89	(12)
Chapter 10: 1959 Buddy Holly Crashes	101	(9)
Chapter 11: 1963 Beatlemania	110	(15)
Chapter 12: 1965 Bob Dylan Goes Electric at the Newport Folk Festival	125	(9)
Chapter 13: 1966 Paul Williams Launches "Crawdaddy!" Magazine	134	(11)
Chapter 14: 1966 Ahmet Ertegun Signs Cream-"Rock and Roll" Becomes "Rock"	145	(10)
Chapter 15: 1967-69 From Monterey Pop to Woodstock to Altamont: Innocence Found and Lost	155	(17)
Chapter 16: 1977 The Sex Pistols Tour America	172	(10)
Chapter 17: 1981 MTV Launches	182	(10)
Chapter 18: 1985 Live Aid	192	(9)
Chapter 19: 1991 Nirvana Hits #1 with "Nevermind"	201	(10)
Chapter 20: 1995 MP3, Napster, and the End of the World as We Know It	211	(16)
Afterword	227	(2)
Quotes	229	(22)
Bibliography	251	(16)
Index	267	(14)
About the Author	281