Marine Biologist (Career Exploration)

Children's Books

Dawson, Jim

Education & Reference

Capstone Press

Using the essentially rhetorical (some might say theological) question: "What was the first rock 'n' roll record?" as its starting point, this unique book nominates 50 records for the honor, beginning with an early live recording, "Blues, Part 2" (1944) and ending with Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956). Forewords by Billy Vera and Dave Marsh.

What Was the First Rock 'N' Roll Record?

Arts & Photography

Propes, Steve

Music

Faber&Faber

The Twist: The Story of the Song and Dance That Changed the World

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Park Naturalist (Career Exploration)

Capstone Pr Inc

From 1901 to 1969, Angels Flight was America’s most famous incline railway, familiar from its many appearances on postcards and in pulp fiction and film noir. It inspired the titles of five novels, including a 1999 best seller, and three films. Angels Flight’s two colorful trolleys glided up and down the side of Bunker Hill in the heart of Los Angeles, carrying 100 million passengers between a downtown business district and a Victorian aerie that gradually deteriorated into a gritty slum. When the city turned Bunker Hill into an acropolis of skyscrapers, Angels Flight was packed up like a boy’s electric train set and stored away for nearly 30 years. After a restoration in the mid-1990s that led to a fatal accident, Angels Flight has reopened and is now ready to claim its next chapters in Los Angeles history.

Los Angeles's Angels Flight (Images of America: California)

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

Whitetail hunting

UNKNO

In the 1950s and '60s, those shiny 45-rpm records with the big hole in the middle were the primary delivery system for popular American music, especially rock 'n' roll. Cheap to manufacture and available to even fly-by-night record operations, the “donut disc” changed the way popular music was written, recorded, promoted and marketed, and it broke – at least for a time – the iron-fisted dominance of the major record corporations. This book traces the 7-inch single's origins back to the 1880s, and explains the personality conflicts that led an eccentric genius to develop the 45 into one of postwar America's most popular consumer products. It explores how the jukebox, the autonomous disc jockey, and payola and artist rip-offs kept the 45 at the forefront of rock for 20 years. There are also chapters on the most valuable (and legendary) 45s of all time, as well as the oddities, oddballs and freak hits that make listening to 45s so much fun. With over 80 illustrations – many in full color.

45 RPM: The History, Heroes, and Villains of a Pop Music Revolution

Backbeat

(Book). Music detective Jim Dawson reveals the real story of rock 'n' roll's beginnings like it's never been told before. It's all here, from the song's murky origins and Bill Haley's early struggles as a professional musician, to the record's explosion through motion pictures like The Blackboard Jungle and Haley's resulting success and eventual burnout. Dawson makes the case that "Rock Around the Clock" besides being the first national No. 1 rock 'n' roll hit killed Tin Pan Alley and heralded the beginning of modern youth culture.

Rock Around the Clock: The Record That Started the Rock Revolution!

Backbeat Books

In the days before rock 'n' roll was invented, saxophonist Big Jay McNeely was already throwing musical tantrums on stage, dirtying his bright green, banana yellow, or purple suits by flopping on the floor, glowing under fluorescent lights, and driving white, black and Chicano teenagers into such delirium with his piercing 45-minute solos that he was barred from playing at many venues and investigated by a psychiatric board to see if his act was having a detrimental effect on young audiences. Utilizing his original research, as well as dozens of rarely seen photographs, author Jim Dawson guides the reader through Big Jay's personal story, along the way providing a rich historical overview of the role of the "honking" saxophone in Rhythm & Blues music during the 1940s and '50s, as personified by other celebrated exponents such as Illinois Jacquet, Big Jim Waynn, Hal Singer, Wild Bill Moore, Lynn Hope, Joe Houston, Chuck Higgins, Gil Bernal and many more.

Nervous Man Nervous: Big Jay McNeely and the Rise of the Honking Tenor Sax

Big Nickel Pubns

At last, the real story of rock 'n' roll pioneer Buddy Holly is told by those who knew him best: his family, the musicians he played with, the fans who loved him, and the stars who were inspired by his music, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Bob Dylan. With extensive coverage of Buddy's chart hits, the unreleased album of alternate takes you probably haven't heard, cover records & remakes of Buddy's songs, paeans, dirges & tribute records.

Memories of Buddy Holly

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Books by Dawson, Jim