Elijah Wald

Elijah Wald is an American musician and author known for his work on the history of American music, particularly blues and folk. He has written several books and articles exploring the cultural and historical contexts of music.

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. How The Beatles Destroyed Rock 'N' Roll

    An Alternative History of American Popular Music

    This insightful exploration delves into the evolution of American popular music, challenging conventional narratives by examining the shifts in musical trends and cultural dynamics from the early 20th century to the present. It highlights the often-overlooked contributions of dance bands, jazz, and R&B, illustrating how these genres laid the groundwork for rock 'n' roll's emergence. By focusing on the broader social and technological changes that influenced music consumption and production, the book offers a fresh perspective on how the Beatles, among others, played a pivotal role in transforming the musical landscape, ultimately reshaping the definition of rock 'n' roll.

    The 17165th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  2. 2. Dylan Goes Electric!

    Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties

    A revisionist, carefully researched account of the moment when a celebrated folk singer shocked his audience by plugging in, tracing the musical, cultural and personal forces that produced the famous electric performance and the furious backlash that followed; the book disentangles myth from fact, places the episode in the wider context of the 1960s folk and rock scenes, and shows how that pivotal shift reshaped popular music and public perceptions of authenticity.

    Purchase from Bookshop.org