Little Richard – Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On
The first sound is a sonic detonation. It’s a riot of frantic keys and a voice that sounds like it’s…
Let It Rock – Chuck Berry
It’s 1960, and the American promise is humming—often with the sound of a rhythm and blues beat barely disguised by…
The Silhouettes “Get a Job”
It’s an image burned into the collective American unconscious: a darkened street corner, perhaps under the glow of a lone…
The Diamonds – She Say
The year is 1959, and the air crackles with sonic change. The foundational grit of 1950s rock and roll—the raw,…
Jackie Wilson – That is Why
It’s easy to look back at the dawn of the 1960s and see a clean line between the doo-wop of…
Bobby Rydell – Kissin’ Time
The late 1950s in America felt less like a decade’s end and more like an endless, sun-drenched Saturday afternoon. The…
Gilbert O’Sullivan – Alone Again (original version)
The year is 1972. I’m huddled close to the radio dial, the chrome bezel warm under my hand. The music…
Paul Anka – It’s Time To Cry
The year is 1959. Rock and roll was still a visceral, slightly dangerous promise, but in the mainstream of American…
The Way It Is – Bruce Hornsby And The Range
The air in the apartment was thick with the scent of old paperbacks and stale coffee. It was late, perhaps…
Tony Orlando & Dawn – Tie a Yellow Ribbon
The window of the night bus is a sheet of black glass, reflecting the fluorescent smear of the cabin lights.…