Backbeats

A History of Rock and Roll in Fifteen Drummers
A Rolling Stone Best Music Book of the Year, this is an electrifying, superb (The Atlantic), and entirely fresh (Rolling Stone) journey through the history of rock and roll, told through the lives of fifteen iconic drummers and their percussion rivalsfrom John Bonham and Charlie Watts to Ringo Starr and Questlove.

Rock and roll thrives on rhythm, but the drummers who drive that pulse often stay in the shadows. In Backbeats, acclaimed music historian John Lingan brings these unsung heroes into the spotlight, delivering a fascinating journey through six decades of rock history.

From Bernard Purdies legendary work with Aretha Franklin to Dave Grohls funk- and punk-indebted swing for Nirvana, these drummers redefined what was possible in pop music. Iconic figures like Ringo Starr, whose inventive style transformed the Beatles, and Charlie Watts,