The B-side - The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song (Hardcover)

From an acclaimed cultural critic, a narrative and social history of the Great American Songwriting era.
Everybody knows and loves the American Songbook. But it's a bit less widely understood that in about 1950, this stream of great songs more or less dried up. All of a sudden, what came over the radio wasn't Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin, but "Come on-a My House" and "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" Elvis and rock and roll arrived a few years later, and at that point the game was truly up. What happened, and why? In "The B Side," acclaimed cultural historian Ben Yagoda answers those questions in a fascinating piece of detective work. Drawing on previously untapped archival sources and on scores of interviews--the voices include Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb, Linda Ronstadt, and Herb Alpert--the book illuminates broad musical trends through a series of intertwined stories. Among them are the battle between ASCAP and Broadcast Music, Inc.; the revolution in jazz after World War II; the impact of radio and then television; and the bitter, decades-long feud between Mitch Miller and Frank Sinatra.
"The B Side" is about taste, and the particular economics and culture of songwriting, and the potential of popular art for greatness and beauty. It's destined to become a classic of American musical history.

General

Imprint:	Riverhead Books,U.S.
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	February 2015
First published:	2015
Authors:	Ben Yagoda
Dimensions:	238 x 160 x 31mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards
Pages:	312
ISBN-13:	978-1-59448-849-8
Categories:	Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Contemporary popular music > Easy listening, MOR Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Contemporary popular music > Rock & pop > General Books > Music > Contemporary popular music > Easy listening, MOR Books > Music > Contemporary popular music > Rock & pop > General Promotions
LSN:	1-59448-849-5
Barcode:	9781594488498

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