Magic City Nights Andre Millard (Wesleyan)


Birmingham, Alabama has


given the world lots of good music, and in Magic City Nights, author Andre Millard (America on Record: A History of Recorded Sound; Beatlema-


nia) takes us from the birth of Birmingham’s rock and roll scene in the ‘50’s, through the garage bands of the 1960’s, 1970’s Southern Rock, and the changing trends in music during the ‘80’s and ‘90’s.


Millard bases his story on oral histories


collected over a twenty-year period, from inter- views with the musicians, music industry folks and fans alike. He adds great details with lots of stories of the technical changes that occurred during these years, all the way from the days of the vacuum tube recording equipment and amps and analog recording all the way to digital record- ing.


For any lover of music history such as my-


self, the book is a real page-turner. It’s a deep look into the music and trends of a highly-inte- grated music scene, much of it taking place at a time when the city of Birmingham, Alabama was among the most conservative, racially divided areas in the country. Of particular interest to many of our read-


ers, there is quite a wealth of information and stories included by Johnny Sandlin, Scott Boyer and others, recounting the beginnings of South- ern rock and the earliest bands, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Atlanta Rhythm Section among them. Millard has written a highly informative


and entertaining book on the musical legacy of Birmingham, from the sock hops to the city’s con- nections with the popular recording studios of Muscle Shoals, to southern rock. One of the finest music history tomes of the year.


-Michael Buffalo Smith


Elvis Ignited The Rise of an Icon in Florida Bob Kealing (University Press of Florida)


It amazes me just how much


detail author Bob Kealing (Call- ing Me Home, Gram Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock)


details in this story of Elvis Presley’s relatively short time in the Sunshine State at the beginning of his career. After all, he was there for a grand total of 15-months during four tours, beginning when he was an unknown in 1955, and following his meteoric rise to fame during the coming year. This was a pivotal time in Elvis’ career, and in all of the Elvis books I have read, I have never seen a clearer look into Presley’s career during this time period.


In Elvis Ignited, Kealing shows the vast


importance of Florida’s role in his career, with now unbelievable stories such as Elvis being bot- tom billed under country star Hank Snow. The author makes you feel like you are there as Elvis struggles in the beginning, when he met with equal amounts of adoration and disdain, and paints a vivid picture of touring musicians during the 1950’s rock and roll boom at a time when Elvis’ band consisted of himself, Scotty Moore and Bill Black. Kealing shares the amazing back stories of


Floridians like Presley's controversial manager Tom Parker and Mae Axton (mother of country star Hoyt Axton), who wrote Elvis’ first national number one hit, “Heartbreak Hotel.” With Presley returning to Florida more


than any other state during his early days, Florid- ians were able to see just how special Elvis was before the rest of the world caught on. It was a landmark time in both Florida history as well as music history itself. The very beginning of rock and roll, and thanks to Bob Kealing, we are all able to experience it.


-Michael Buffalo Smith


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