The Rise of Rock
From its early beginnings in the '40s, born out of the musical styles of black Americans and the desires and frustrations of the young, rock music has grown into the distinctive music of the latter half of the twentieth-century. For teenagers from Tokyo to Topeka, the music remains a large part of growing up, offering a focus for shared fantasies of sex, romance and rebellion.
James Miller's illuminating and opinionated book is a cultural history of the rise - and arrested development - of rock: from early beginnings - Wyonnie Harris' 1947 hit 'Good Rockin' Tonight' - to the deaths of Sid Vicious and Elvis, Miller explores a series of pivotal dates in chapters that range from the release of crucial singles, albums and movies, live performances; and a variety of other turning points.
Miller investigates both how rock developed as music and how it has become a crucial part of the social history of our times. Combining the skills of historian with those of a long-serving rock journalist, 'Almost Grown' is as fascinating an exploration of the history of rock and its place in the twentieth-century as has ever been written.
