Book Review: "The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll"

This book review of “The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘N’ Roll” is intended for fans of music and history. It is a recommended read for anyone who appreciates the intersections of music and history.

The book helps any music fan share with others how today’s popular music evolved. It can also help avowed fans of any of the following musical forms: rock, jazz, blues, soul, and r&b gain a greater appreciation of current and past artists in those musical genres.

I don’t know more about the book’s author, Preston Lauterbach, than what is on the inside cover of the book or on his website at prestonlauterbach.com. But what I do know is that Mr. Lauterbach has a great ability to present how Rock ‘N’ Roll evolved.

Mr. Lauterbach’s writings taught me how historical economic changes, political changes, and social/cultural changes in the US contributed to the evolution of music. This included an incredible presentation of how non-musical forces drove the development of the “chitlin’ circuit,” and then, in turn, how the chitlin’ circuit facilitated the development of an American musical art form along with a whole new economic sector. : the combination of live music production, the recording industry and the transmission of music on the air on radio and television.

One of the surprises for me: Before reading the book, I thought that the chitlin’ circuit was a reference to a network of clubs or music venues located in the concentrated region of the southeastern states of the US. Instead, what I learned was that the chitlin’ circuit was a complex network located in a larger and sometimes changing (depending on changing economic circumstances) group of clubs, bars, cafes/restaurants, music venues and sometimes, makeshift places (barns). This network was located in the southeastern states of the US, as well as Houston, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, and cities on the East Coast.

I also learned that the chitlin’ circuit was both informal and formal. Mr. Lauterbach’s book shows the reader how savvy club owners and booking agents/talent agencies linked together to develop a successful market for musical performances that later led to a profitable market for recorded music.

I also found an interesting presentation of “The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘N’ Roll” on how tour booking agents developed and controlled the circuit in the early days, leading to the development of successful clubs and other venues. for the live music. Mr. Lauterbach tells us how the touring business and related live music performances spawned successful artists. Successful artists then produced creative new music that then brought about changes in the way live music was presented to audiences throughout the circuit. And those changes, in turn, spawned innovations for the recording industry, which eventually supplanted the touring industry as the main economic force driving music in the US.

I also believe that Mr. Lauterbach was giving the reader a bittersweet story based on historical facts. The bittersweet story involves the evolution from the segregated America of the past to a country that is now officially unbundled. The book explains how racial integration changed the urban economy of the US, which in turn ultimately led to the demise of “The Stroll”, which was located in every American city. “The Stroll” was another name for the “cities within cities” of African Americans and/or concentrated African American economic centers within each American community prior to the achievement of desegregation.

The word “bittersweet” is used here because this book presents sad stories caused by the cruel and unfair racism suffered by African-Americans in the US, the ties of those sad stories to the development of beautiful music, and the classic stories of the rags to riches. of successful black music artists. The book tells the rest of the story about how changes in public policy at the federal and local government levels (such as the federal government’s urban renewal and interstate highway programs) caused the landscape of the chitlin loop to fade. .

But at the end of the day: The book titled “The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘N’ Roll” shows us that the great music produced by Chitlin’ Circuit remains and is there for each and every listener to enjoy. of music. .