Title Details

The definitive history of the city's rich musical heritage draws upon extensive original research, including interviews with David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Joe Strummer, Dusty Springfield, and Amy Winehouse The West End musicals, Ronnie Scott's jazz club, Abbey Road, mod culture, the Kinks, the Who, and the Rolling Stones are just as much a part of London as the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the Routemaster. In this fascinating history of the city's popular music, critically-acclaimed music writer Paul Du Noyer explores London's native talent, from Noël Coward and David Bowie to the Sex Pistols and Amy Winehouse. He also covers the London visits of artists such as Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, who also felt the city's influence. From Elizabethan traders and public execution songs, to The Beggar's Opera and East End music halls, right up to modern-day troubadours such as Dizzee Rascal and Lily Allen, he charts the rich musical inheritance and the many styles and characters that have helped to define the city's music over the years. This captivating book will appeal to all lovers of popular culture, social history, and music. Above all, it is a celebration of the city—packed with stories of the people and places that have made London one of the most exciting and innovative musical cities on earth.