James A. Cosbys book on the roots of rock and roll is a fascinating look at the historical aspect of this comprehensive music. He carefully traces some of the earliest examples of what later evolved into what we recognize as rock and roll, and the journey on which this book takes us is consistently informative and enlightening. The author covers the musics history with careful, accurate details, and also adds an appreciation for its aesthetics. It allows even those who already have some understanding of the musics roots to learn more details and obtain a deeper understanding. Highly recommended. It is one of the quintessential books on rock musics roots.Examiner.com; thoughtfully written and meticulously footnotedBroad Street Review; chapter after chapter, it will have you reaching for your record playerThe Current; a lot of useful, thoughtful, and engaging information throughout the work...provides an illuminating and intriguing look at how the genre became a cultural touchstoneKirkus Reviews; you can read a hundred histories of early rock and roll, and still not understand exactly how the spark of a century was generated. History can be messy, but is there any way to tell the story concisely? James A. Cosby does a more than creditable job of that in his new bookMinnesota Public Radio; informative and entertaining and likely to appeal to anyone with an interest in popular musicPenniless Press; The wealth of information [ Cosby] shares, and the way it is presented, makes this book worth owning102.9 WMGK Classic Rock; well researched, well organized, and well thought-out...those who are just starting out their research on the history of rock and roll will find this book useful, while even the more seasoned rock and roll scholar will glean some new informationARSC Journal.
