Yep, you're looking at the cover of my new book, Rock Concert: An Oral History as Told by the Artists, Backstage Insiders, and Fans Who Were There, coming on November 9 from Grove Press. Two and a half years ago, I was sitting in the office of Morgan Entrekin, my editor and Grove Atlantic's president and publisher. I was pitching him the idea of an oral history tracing the evolution of live rock, from 1950 to 1985. Morgan published my last book, Anatomy of a Song, in 2017. He immediately lit up.
At the heart of the book is the answer to a basic question: How did the rock concert transition from small R&B shows in Los Angeles to a teenage rite of passage at sporting arenas and stadiums throughout the country and eventually the world? The story weaves through L.A., Cleveland, Chicago, Memphis, New York and Newport, R.I., expanding to urban ballrooms and theaters and outdoor festivals and large controlled venues. Throughout the book, I trace the events, visionaries and inventions that allowed the rock concert and business to thrive and become an $8 billion industry.
I'm fortunate to have Morgan as my editor. He's shrewd, hip, literary and loves pop culture as much as he loves fiction and history. This year, a book he bought as publisher and edited, Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy, by David Zucchino, won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. With me, Morgan was supportive throughout the writing process, letting me do my thing but providing critical advice along the way to reel me in and intensify the book's drama and crystalize its purpose. The mark of a great editor.
Rock Concert runs nearly 400 pages but it's a fast, engaging read, providing two histories in one. Not only does the book detail the flowering of live rock through the words of eyewitnesses, promoters and rock stars but it also gives you the history of the music, from jump blues events in 1950 and '51 to Live Aid in '85, the last of the old school, low-price spectaculars. You won't be able to put it down.
Pre-order a copy of Rock Concert for yourself or for family members and friends. It's a perfect birthday or holiday gift. And because the cover is glossy, you won't even have to wrap it. By pre-ordering, you'll be guaranteed a copy even if the advance buzz causes a rush on the book. And remember, all purchases are for a good cause. Buying the book will allow me to continue writing JazzWax and provide it to you six days a week for free. If that isn't an incentive, I don't know what is.
Tomorrow, JazzWax will return to the music—and I'll be starting my next book.
JazzWax pages: You'll find Rock Concert (Grove Press) here or here. For my friends in the U.K., Canada and Australia, Rock Concert will be published in your countries simultaneously as well. Check your favorite local bookstore or online retailer, including Amazon.
