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The Chitlin' Circuit
And the Road to Rock 'n' Roll
Book Summary
Combining firsthand reporting with historical research, a music journalist provides a musical history of the birth of rock 'n' roll in the black juke joints where James Brown and B.B. King got their start. 17,000 first printing.
Genres:
This book is about:
- African American jazz musicians,
- Jazz,
- History and criticism
NPR stories about The Chitlin' Circuit
Best Books Of 2011
Staff Picks: The Best Music Books Of 2011
The Chitlin' Circuit: And the Road to Rock 'n' Roll is a music librarian's dream. More exhaustively researched than a dissertation on plagiarism, Preston Lauterbach's book brings a long-ignored period of musical history vividly to life. The brainchild of Denver Ferguson, the only black booking agent in the 1930s, the Chitlin' Circuit was a network of black show promoters and venues that stretched through the South from West Virginia to Texas. Ferguson sent big band acts on the road... more
—Elizabeth Allin
Book Reviews
The Story Of The Chitlin' Circuit's Great Performers
December 20, 2011 Before the Civil Rights movement, segregated American cities helped give birth to the Chitlin' Circuit, a touring revue that provided employment for hundreds of black musicians. Rock historian Ed Ward profiles two recent books which illuminate the conditions these musicians endured.
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