The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll: The Illustrated Story of Sun Records and the 70 Recordings That Changed the World
By Peter Guralnick & Colin Escott
(Omnibus Press)
You know I love the holidays, I love all of the giving and I will miss it when I am gone. And now that Thanksgiving is safely over, we can begin to discuss what should be sitting under your granny or grandad’s tree this holiday season, and I am hoping that will be a copy of The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll: The Illustrated Story of Sun Records, and the 70 Recordings That Changed the World by Peter Guralnick & Colin Escott. Published by the esteemed rock’n’roll music book publisher, Omnibus Press.
It wouldn’t be incorrect to describe The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll: 70 Years of Sun Records, as a coffee table book, since it is almost the physical size of a coffee table found in many small homes. It is the official published history of the iconic and culturally significant Sun Records label, originally established by Sam Phillips in Memphis, TN in 1952. The book is beautifully designed, with lots of rarely seen photos alongside the well known and revered ones; there's a page dedicated to each critical Sun Records release. And although the book is not for musical obscuro's, or completists (there's a Discogs listing for that), on most every page, I find myself saying, "Who knew? Who knew? Who knew?" And what I know now, what I've gleaned, I'm not sharing.
Peter Guralnick previously authored two seminal Elvis biographies and Colin Emscott, an acclaimed biography of Hank Williams and the book that accompanies the recent BBC series Lost Highway: The Story Of Country Music. Peter and Colin are inspired choices for this project. Authentic, authoritative and erudite, their zest to share their immense knowledge, their generosity tumbles from the pages.
A must for many homes, The Illustrated Story of Sun Records is a treasure trove.
Essential Info
Buy The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll: The Illustrated Story of Sun Records and the 70 Recordings That Changed the World here⇒ (and you'll be supporting our fave bookstore, the Bear Bookshop)
