A half-century ago, rock bands were popping up in every city in the nation. They all had the dream of finding that one special song that would earn them a spot on the national charts and an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. All of them dreamed of fame and money, of becoming the next big thing in the music world, however briefly, but none of them dreamed of becoming an institution in the region where they lived and worked. Yet that's the story of the Monarchs, the band from Louisville, Kentucky that came, oh, so close to the big time but ended up with something every bit as enduring - and more endearing - than a hit record. The Monarchs earned the undying love of a city and a region where they are still going strong after 50 years of concerts, sock hops, dances and reunions. For awhile they packed their equipment in a black hearse. Another time they outshone Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. And then the time at a dim little roadhouse when... well, you have to read it. It's the story of a band, sure, but also of an ear in history when rock 'n' roll changed America forever.

The Monarchs

Billy Reed

Butler Books

Since its opening in 1956, Louisville, Kentucky's Freedom Hall has been one of the nation's premier sports and entertainment venues. Published during the arena's final season as the home of the UofL Cardinals basketball teams, this fully-illustrated, full-color commemorative coffee-table book celebrates Freedom Hall's 54-year history as both a gathering place and a crossroads for millions of Americans and almost every Kentuckian.Over more than half a century, Freedom Hall has been the home of six NCAA Final Fours, the World's Championship Horse Show, Muhammad Ali's early professional fights, the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA, and an untold number of concerts, circuses, rodeos, ice shows, monster truck and motocross races, track and field events, tractor pulls and other family events. Mostly, though, it has been the home of the University of Louisville Cardinals basketball teams, who will move to a new downtown arena late in 2010. Going with them will be the memories of the UofL men's basketball team's two NCAA title wins, in 1980 and 1986, and their 54 years of competition while at Freedom Hall.Here, in a nostalgic tribute and loving send-off to the arena that the Rev. Billy Graham once called "the most beautiful auditorium in the world," award-winning journalist Billy Reed has collected a bevy of well-researched photographs and original stories to recapture some of Freedom Hall's greatest events and its most memorable moments.

54 Years at Freedom Hall: Great Events and Memorable Moments at One of America's Premier Arenas

Sports & Outdoors

Basketball

By Billy Reed • Hardcover • 9 x 11 • 224 pages • Full color photography throughout Far into the foreseeable future, civic leaders in Louisville, Kentucky will refer to the building of the KFC Yum! Center as a blueprint for how a public project should be funded, planned, and executed. From the outset, the arena project always was about more than providing a new home for the highly successful University of Louisville men's and women's basketball programs. It was about providing every element of the city's culture — men and women, black and white, business and labor, rich and poor — with the opportunity to participate in a project that will revitalize the city's downtown and make the city a viable option for national tournaments and conventions, as well as the biggest show-business acts in the nation. It's a story with a few stars and a lot of heroes. It's a story of how Possibility City turned a dream into a magnificent reality. About the Author: For more than 50 years, Billy Reed has written about sports and other topics for such publications as Sports Illustrated, The Courier-Journal, and The Lexington Herald-Leader. He has won numerous national and regional awards, especially for his writing on college basketball and thoroughbred racing. His 18 book credits include Freedom Hall: Celebrating 54 Years at Freedom Hall and The Monarchs: The Great American Rock 'n' Roll Dream.

Louisville's KFC Yum! Center: A Community's Dream Realized

In Last of a BReed, award-winning journalist Billy Reed shares a behind-the-scenes look at his career in sports writing, nearly six decades in the making.
 One of the most accomplished journalists in Kentucky's history, Billy thrived during the golden era of sports writing, when the Louisville Courier-Journal published four editions every night before the internet changed the world.
 From his first job as Henry Clay High School beat reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader in 1959, Billy covered all the major sporting events the World Series, Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, Triple Crown races, major golf tournaments, and big college football games and developed personal relationships with the biggest sports personalities Muhammad Ali, Bob Knight, and Adolph Rupp, to name a few.
 Last of a BReed provides a personal reflection on Billy's life as a self-proclaimed "ink-stained wretch" and a tribute to his mentors and colleagues who helped him along the way. Through the years, Billy's clever prose helped fuel the passions of spectators, coaches, players, and trainers alike, and this book gives insight into the craft of developing relationships and creating the stories that defined a generation of athletes.

Last of A BReed

Dave Kindred-Foreword

Biographies & Memoirs

Acclaim Press, Inc.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Billy Reed. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Billy Reed

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Billy Reed. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Monarchs

54 Years at Freedom Hall: Great Events and Memorable Moments at One of America's Premier Arenas

Louisville's KFC Yum! Center: A Community's Dream Realized

Last of A BReed