Title: The Coffman Collection: A History of Distinctive Rock & Roll Hits
Author: Larry Coffman
Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing
ISBN: 979-8890616524
Pages: 352
Genre: Music Entertainment & History
Reviewer: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Pacific Book Review
Author and music maven Larry Coffman, in his book titled, The Coffman Collection: A History of Distinctive Rock & Roll Hits, has catalogued the distinctive songs and major players in the history of rock and roll music, promising readers the genuine “backstories” that will bring the genre, its stars and fan bases, to new, fascinating, factual attention.
The first glint of new musical freedom, Coffman suggests, occurred in 1963 after the shock of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which, following the nation’s mourning, would soon bring to the spotlight a group and style from across the waves: the Beatles, whose “I Want to Hold Your Hand” opened new musical doors: “Our ears were reborn!” But prior to the incursion of English contributions there had been Chuck Berry whose 1957 release, “Rock and Roll Music” was meant to “deliver me from the days of old.” Groups lesser known, like Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet band, joined sound and sentiment with still remembered singers and composers Elvis Presley, George Harrison, Johnny Cash, and The Kingson Trio, whose mining of gospel and folk styles gave the rock sound enchanted a growing audience of youthful, purposefully nonconforming fans.
Moving into the 1970s, modern media could focus on such wild, wonderful artists as Gordon Lightfoot, Cher and the Bee Gees. Older readers will be happily prompted to recall the energetic sounds that emanated from Motown and touched by immersion anew in the “End the War” protest songs that proliferated in the Vietnam era, with John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s stirring “Give Peace a Chance” as a singular example.
Coffman is a seasoned journalist who moved from newspaper writing and editing to a sixteen-year connection to the website and international radio show, Acoustic Storm. Here he succeeds remarkably, uniquely, in offering year-by-year, almost day-by-day, accomplishments of the vast rock and roll music collocation, citing artists, writers, and human history. Grateful readers will admire and wish to share Coffman’s diligently detailed, human scale portraits of popular songs, their sometimes-hidden meanings, and the people and cultural mores that inspired and accompanied them.
The Coffman Collection takes readers on a high-voltage ride through the evolution of rock & roll. With personal reflections and an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, Larry Coffman curates a compelling history of the most distinctive and influential rock hits ever recorded. From guitar-driven anthems to rebellious underground tracks, this book is a must-have for any true rock fan.
