From Nelson George, supervising producer and writer of the hit Netflix series, "The Get Down," this passionate and provocative book tells the complete story of black music in the last fifty years, and in doing so outlines the perilous position of black culture within white American society. In a fast-paced narrative, Nelson George’s book chronicles the rise and fall of “race music” and its transformation into the R&B that eventually dominated the airwaves only to find itself diluted and submerged as crossover music.
Examines the changing sound of rhythm and blues, from the electrifying music of such greats as Chuck Berry and Aretha Franklin to current mainstream names like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, and explores the reasons for this radical shift
