Rock'n America

Scholars of post-World War II American culture and music, along with teachers and their students, will find Deena Weinstein's Rock'n America an original, creative, and comprehensive examination of the development, changes, and meaning of rock 'n' roll from the 1950s to the present. -- David F. Schmitz, Robert Allen Skotheim Chair of History, Whitman College The first book of its kind-a comprehensive history of rock music in America, designed specifically for undergraduate teaching. I can't wait to use this book for my Sociology of Rock course. -- Matthew Smith-Lahrman, Dixie State University Rock'n America takes us on an incredible journey through rock music's many manifestations. Weinstein is especially insightful in revealing how the music has been shaped by not only the artists, but also the events of the day, and the various mediators, including the fans. Her enthusiasm is contagious. The book is thoroughly researched and comprehensive, but never reads like a dull factoid history. -- Thomas M. Kitts, St. John's University, editor of Popular Music and Society and Rock Music Studies

What is rock? This book offers a new and systematic approach to understanding rock by applying sociological concepts in a historical context.What is rock? This book offers a new and systematic approach to understanding rock by applying sociological concepts in a historical context. Deena Weinstein, a rock critic, journalist, and academic, starts by outlining an original approach to understanding rock, explaining how the form has developed through a complex and ever-changing set of relations between artists, fans, and mediators. She then traces the history of rock in America through its distinctive eras, from rock's precursors to rock in the digital age. The book includes suggested listening lists to accompany each chapter, a detailed filmography of movies about rock, and a wide range of visuals and fascinating anecdotes. Never separating rock music from the social, political, economic, and cultural changes in America's history, Rock'n America provides a comprehensive overview of the genre and a new way of appreciating its place in American society.