A Rolling Stone Best Music Book of 2025, this is an electrifying, superb (Atlantic), and entirely fresh (Rolling Stone) journey through the history of rock and roll, told through the lives of fifteen iconic drummers and their percussion rivalsfrom John Bonham and Charlie Watts to Ringo Starr and Questlove.
Rock and roll thrives on rhythm, but the drummers who drive that pulse often stay in the shadows. In Backbeats, acclaimed music historian John Lingan brings these unsung heroes into the spotlight, delivering a fascinating journey through six decades of rock history.
Lingans deep research and vivid storytelling explores the lives of fifteen pathbreaking drummers and their fellow timekeepersmen and women who together laid down the beat of an era. From Bernard Purdies legendary work with Aretha Franklin to Dave Grohls funk- and punk-indebted swing for Nirvana, these drummers redefined what was possible in pop music. Iconic figures like Ringo Starr, whose inventive style transformed the Beatles, and Charlie Watts, the steady backbone of the Rolling Stones, take center stage. But Lingan doesnt stop therehe also shines a light on groundbreaking, underappreciated talents like Maureen Tucker of The Velvet Underground, whose minimalist beats rewrote the rule book, and Sam Lay, a pivotal figure in rocks evolution from the blues.
Packed with insider stories and exclusive interviewsfrom Robert Plants reflections on Led Zeppelins legendary sessions to superstar recording engineer Steve Albinis behind-the-scenes accountsBackbeats offers an eye-opening glimpse into some of rocks most unforgettable moments, including the seismic shift of Bob Dylan going electric at Newport, James Browns explosive creation of funk in the late sixties, and the birth of LA thrash metal in the early eighties.
More than just a tribute to an unrecognized group of virtuosos, this book is a love letter to the art of drumming itself. Both broadly accessible and enlightening (Rolling Stone) to musicians and non-musicians alike, Backbeats shows how these remarkable artists not only kept the beat but drove rock and roll forward. Its a must-read for any music lover, offering a fresh and thrilling perspective on a story we only thought we knew.
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