Rock is a broad church united by a passion for all that is vital and dynamic. This edition A Brief History of Rock has been updated for the 21st century and encapsulates the power and the story of one of the most popular styles of music, charting a comprehensive history through the decades. The ultimate survey of guitar-based rock - tracing all genres, from the late 1960s blues-rock boom to '90s blues and R&B, it covers all the essential people, events and developments, giving an informative and thoughtful history, alongside key artists and tracks. Broken down into easily navigable chronological sections, the highly readable text is accompanied by evocative and revealing images. It is a real treat for all rock fans.

The History of Rock chronicles over six decades of key events in rock, punk, metal, and more. Featuring profiles of 100 groundbreaking artists from the rock music pantheon and special breakout sections on trends like Beatlemania, Disco Fever, and Motown, this book is the definitive guide to all things rock n' roll. It includes over 450 photographs and essays detailing each rock style, from R & B and Rockabilly to Trip Hop and Electronic.

The birth of rock ‘n’ roll signaled the blossoming of a new teenage culture, dividing generations and introducing a new attitude of rebellion and independence. From Chuck Berry to the Beatles, from punk rock to hip hop, rock ‘n’ roll has continuously transformed alongside or in reaction to social, cultural, and political changes. A Brief History of Rock, Off the Record is a concise introduction to rock history and the impact it has had on American culture. It is an easy-to-read, vivid account written by one of rock’s leading critics. Pulling from personal interviews over the years, Wayne Robins interweaves the developments in rock music with his commentary on the political and social events and movements that defined their decades.

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.

THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR BIG MUSIC FANS AND LITTLE PUNKS. What are the greatest rock songs of all time? Who are the most famous musical legends? How can you become a rock star? From the rip-roaring rock and roll rhythms of the 1950s to the psychedelic anthems of the 21st century, discover the music that has moved our feet, touched our souls and mended broken hearts. Explore musical icons, their incredible stories, their chart-topping hits and the artistic movements influenced by the creative explosion of rock. Whether you're bonkers for Bowie, obsessed with Otis, mad about Mumford & Sons, passionate about Patti or crazy about Kurt, this is the perfect book for big fans, little punks and anyone who wants to learn what it really takes to be a rock star.

The legendary critic and author of Mystery Train “ingeniously retells the tale of rock and roll” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Unlike previous versions of rock ’n’ roll history, this book omits almost every iconic performer and ignores the storied events and turning points everyone knows. Instead, in a daring stroke, Greil Marcus selects ten songs and dramatizes how each embodies rock ’n’ roll as a thing in itself, in the story it tells, inhabits, and acts out—a new language, something new under the sun. “Transmission” by Joy Division. “All I Could Do Was Cry” by Etta James and then Beyoncé. “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” first by the Teddy Bears and almost half a century later by Amy Winehouse. In Marcus’s hands these and other songs tell the story of the music, which is, at bottom, the story of the desire for freedom in all its unruly and liberating glory. Slipping the constraints of chronology, Marcus braids together past and present, holding up to the light the ways that these striking songs fall through time and circumstance, gaining momentum and meaning, astonishing us by upending our presumptions and prejudices. This book, by a founder of contemporary rock criticism—and its most gifted and incisive practitioner—is destined to become an enduring classic. “One of the epic figures in rock writing.”—The New York Times Book Review “Marcus is our greatest cultural critic, not only because of what he says but also, as with rock-and-roll itself, how he says it.”—The Washington Post Winner of the Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award in Music Criticism, given by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers

Attempts to track rock and roll -- as music, as culture, as headline maker, as business -- from its hazy origins to the present day.