Reddit reviews All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America (Pivotal Moments in American History)

All Shook Up by Glenn C. Altschuler

This has a more historical bend to it, but it is amazing. Each chapter covers a different theme and era from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, and each chapter showcases a few revolutionary, genre-changing songs and artists. The author also made playlists to go with each chapter so you can listen to the songs he's talking about as you read. Invaluable if you want to know the history of how pop music came about, how rock n roll took hold, and also if you're interested in the history of this time period. Goes very deep into generational conflict, payola scandals, how the labels and recording companies handled everything. He also takes a VERY direct look at how important black culture was to this type of music so it's a great book for understanding race in the music industry, as well.