Songbirds of the 60s – But Will You Love Me Tomorrow by Laura Flam and Emily Siue Liebowitz

Before the Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys and so many others, there were the Girl Groups: the Shirelles, Ronettes, Angels, and Crystals (to name just a few) and songs like "Be My Baby", "Soldier Boy", "Then He Kissed Me", and of course, the one that inspired this book's title, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". Most of the early Girl Groups came out of the New York/New Jersey area, with another wave coming from Detroit, at the very beginning of Motown: the Marvelettes, Vandellas, and then the Supremes.

It was impossible, in the early 60s, to turn on the radio to your local pop station, and not hear those songs. They were the songs you sang along to, and likely danced to, if not then, a little later on. They were songs of love, hope, yearning, and desire.

This engaging book is a chronicle of the groups, their members, their producers, promoters, and the songwriters. Some of the singers became household names: Ronnie Spector, Martha Reeves, Darlene Love, and Diana Ross. Some of the songwriters are also renown: Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Ellie Greenwich, Stoller & Leiber, and Holland-Dozier-Holland. Other figures like Dick Clark, Don Kirshner, Berry Gordy, and the long shadow of Phil Spector figure prominently. 

The authors interviewed many of the surviving group members and others who contributed to their records and their fame. Their backstories are individual but make a collective, though not necessarily cohesive, whole. All of their music is part of our history and a backdrop to at least parts of our lives.

The book is organized more or less chronologically, but also topically. It takes us through such historical life-shaping milestones as the JFK assassination, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War. Some of the most moving, and chilling, reminiscences are the descriptions of the discrimination and occasional violence that these nearly all Black groups encountered on road trips through the South. 

If you have an interest in the history of the last 65 years, popular culture, and music, you'll enjoy this book, and you'll hear your favorites again, playing in your head as you read along. 

70s Redux – Hearts of Darkness: James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens and the Unlikely Rise of the Singer-Songwriter

1970 and 1971 were the peak years of the Singer-Songwriter era in popular American music, according to author Dave Thompson. The phenomenon grew out of the folk and protest music of the mid to late 60s, which had already produced many iconic artists, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Tom Rush, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, and many more. Many of those musicians got their start in the coffeehouses and small clubs of Greenwich Village in New York, but gradually the scene shifted west. The Mamas and Papas' "California Dreamin", released in December, 1965, sums it up perfectly. Cass Elliott, one of the "Mamas", established a home in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles that became the place where many of her fellow artists gathered. In 1970, Joni Mitchell's album, Ladies of the Canyon, referred to the area. 

In general, the late 60s and early 70s saw a tremendous number of musicians, singers and groups establish themselves, especially in Los Angeles. They were mainly among the earliest cohort of the Baby Boom Generation, and in fact, the three subjects of this book were all born in 1948. Despite the repercussions of the Vietnam War, it was a free and easy time in many respects, and youth culture reigned. Those of us who immediately followed by five to eight years also embraced their music and it became ingrained in our hearts and minds.

The Singer-Songwriters specialized in a lyric-rich songwriting style, and generally performed solo, at least in the beginnings of their careers. They were introspective and at times, brooding, writing and performing songs based on their personal life experiences, family and romantic relationships, and spoke to the social and political events of the day and how they affected them. Millions of listeners connected with both their angst and joy, and many of their songs and albums were hugely successful.

Thompson works through the chronological events of early careers of his three subjects, switching back and forth among them. There are many details and anecdotes of their interactions with the other artists, concert promoters, record producers and some family background. Some of it is interesting, some is distracting, and would have been better left out.

Two of the most appealing aspects of the book are the Epilogue, which presents updates on the various other artists, business figures and record companies that figure in the lives of the subjects; and, a Discography which lists all the recordings (studio and concert) of the three artists and their associates from 1963 through 1972.

Probably the least appealing aspect of the book is the cover art, which features a triptych of shots of Browne, Taylor, and Stevens. The picture of Taylor is an unfortunate choice. The handsome young Taylor graced the walls of many dorm rooms with his intense good looks, but here a shot was chosen in which he looks not unlike the notorious mass murderer Charles Manson (who committed his crimes in Greater Los Angeles in 1969). Perhaps that is because the author seems to have singled out Taylor (in my opinion, by far the most talented of the three subjects, and whose career has most endured) for the most criticism.