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And the Road to Rock 'n' Roll
W. W. Norton & Company
July 2011
On Sale: July 18, 2011
352 pages ISBN: 0393076520 EAN: 9780393076523 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
The first history of the network of black juke joints that
spawned rock 'n' roll through an unholy alliance between
vice and entertainment.
A definitive account of the birth of rock 'n' roll in black
America, this book establishes the Chitlin' Circuit as a
major force in American musical history. Combining terrific
firsthand reporting with deep historical research, Preston
Lauterbach uncovers characters like Chicago Defender
columnist Walter Barnes, who pioneered the circuit in the
1930s, and larger-than-life promoters such as Denver
Ferguson, the Indianapolis gambling chieftain who
consolidated it in the 1940s. Charging from Memphis to
Houston and now-obscure points in between, The Chitlin'
Circuit brings us into the sweaty back rooms where such
stars as James Brown, B. B. King, and Little Richard got
their start. With his unforgettable portraits of unsung
heroes including King Kolax, Sax Kari, and Clarence
"Gatemouth" Brown, Lauterbach writes of a world of clubs and
con men that has managed to avoid much examination despite
its wealth of brash characters, intriguing plotlines, and
vulgar glory, and gives us an excavation of an underground
musical America. 34 black-and-white illustrations
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