Music Book Review: Legends, Icons & Rebels by Robbie Robertson and others

Legends, Icons & Rebels
by Robbie Robertson and others [j781.66 Rob]


This is a marvelous snapshot of Rock n’ Roll music history, and I’m surprised to find it only in the libraries’ “youth” collection! I’d read a glowing review of this book, and therefore wanted to give it a try myself. Legends, Icons & Rebels focuses on 25 different individuals, and 2 groups, that the editors consider to be the most influential in the early years of the evolving popular music culture. Each performer/group gets four pages in this oversized “coffee table” book. The first two pages are a gorgeous “splash page” with the performer/group illustrated by various pop artists, and a “pull quote” from the editors. The remain two pages for each entry are a short “nutshell” overview of why that artist or group should be considered significant, and a recommended playlist of their songs. The back of the book includes two CDs that collect a single “groundbreaking” song from each of the profiled musicans/groups.

This book is absolutely gorgeous, and the artists being profiled as an incredible cross-section of American musical history. To highlight just a sampling of them would be unfair, so here’s a list of the individuals and groups you’ll find in this tome: Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Louis Armstrong, Bob Marley, Buddy Holly, Joni Mitchell, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Curtis Mayfield, Billie Holiday, Little Richard, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Carole King, Sam Cooke, Louis Jordan, The Beach Boys, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Patsy Cline, Otis Redding, Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan.

[ publisher’s official Legends, Icons & Rebels web page ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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