Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Carol Ann Strahl:
This book is an inside look at the music scene in the 1960’s and early 1970’s.
The average listener had no idea that the musicians who recorded the most popular songs of the time were, in many cases, not members of the bands listed on the labels but a group of talented studio musicians (aka “Session Players”) known in the industry as “the Wrecking Crew.”
Great stories featuring such luminaries as Sonny Bono, Roger McGuinn from The Byrds, Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, Johnny Rivers, Simon & Garfunkle, the Beach Boys, and The Mamas & The Papas are plentiful in this book.
The book is not lacking in detail and you will learn, for example, the names of the two musicians considered to be the best studio guitarists and the name of the most played instrumental in the history of American radio. What actor currently on the TV show ‘The Office’ was once a guitarist with Grass Roots? One of the Crew was even a native of Niagara Falls, New York. (There is always a Buffalo area connection!)
A must read for any music aficionado of early Rock’n Roll and a fun, fact-filled read for anyone.
If you’re interested in this book, there is a library in your neighborhood where you can find it. Your public library is a source of immediate gratification. Take a walk to your local branch and discover a vital resource that is there for the taking. Whether it’s current events, a visit to our downtown cafe called Fables, something for the kids, or even booking a librarian, we’re not just books anymore! Your free Buffalo & Erie County Public Library card is your ticket to millions of free resources – e-books, downloadable music, research databases, genealogical materials, our complete catalog, and of course, more than 3 million book titles. All of this is at your fingertips at any Library in Erie County or from your own computer – check us out at www.buffalolib.org.