Rock  Roll in Kennedys America, Richard Aquila
Rock  Roll in Kennedys America, Richard Aquila
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Rock & Roll in Kennedy's America
A Cultural History of the Early 1960s

Author: Richard Aquila

Narrator: Chris Abernathy

Unabridged: 13 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/15/2022


Synopsis

A rousing, poignant look at the cultural history of rock & roll during the early 1960s.

In the early 1960s, the nation was on track to fulfill its destiny in what was being called "the American Century." Baby boomers and rock & roll shared the country's optimism and energy. For "one brief, shining moment" in the early 1960s, both President John F. Kennedy and young people across the country were riding high. The dream of a New Frontier would soon give way, however, to a new reality involving assassinations, the Vietnam War, Cold War crises, the civil rights movement, a new feminist movement, and various culture wars.

Based on extensive research and exclusive interviews with Dion, Bo Diddley, Brenda Lee, Martha Reeves, Pete Seeger, Bob Gaudio, Dick Clark, and other legendary figures, the book rejects the myth that Buddy Holly's death in 1959 was "the day the music died." It proves that rock & roll during the early 1960s was vibrant and in tune with the history and events of this colorful era. These interviews and Aquila's research reveal unique insights and new details about politics, gender, race, ethnicity, youth culture, and everyday life. Rock & Roll in Kennedy's America recalls an important chapter in rock & roll and American history.

About Richard Aquila

Richard Aquila is professor emeritus of history and American studies at Penn State University and the former host of NPR's Rock & Roll America. He is the author of The Sagebrush Trail: Western Movies and Twentieth-Century America and Let's Rock! How 1950s America Created Elvis and the Rock & Roll Craze.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mickey

It's been said before, from the time Buddy Holly died, until the Beatles arrived, rock and roll was dead, and it was all teen idols. Wrong!!!!! This book proves it, and shows rock and roll was alive in well in the early 60s. Great look at the music scene from the Kennedy administration, and how it af......more

Goodreads review by Amy

This book reminded me quite a bit of Ed Ward's "History of Rock and Roll" (Volumes I and II.) It is an interesting blend of social history and rock history, spending some time discussing how music both informs and reflects the time in which it was created. The songs titles come fast and furious and,......more

Goodreads review by Bruce

A companion piece to Richard Aquila's "Let's Rock!: How 1950s America Created Elvis and the Rock and Roll Craze," this book makes the argument that rock'n'roll music didn't die with Buddy Holly and that the early 1960s music was just as relevant as the music that came before and after. While that is......more