GOOD BOOTY: LOVE AND SEX, BLACK & WHITE, BODY AND SOUL IN AMERICAN MUSIC By Ann Powers


Ann Powers writes about Rock & Roll artists from Chuck Berry to Justin Timberlake, Janis Joplin to Taylor Swift, Mary Wells to Beyonce, David Bowie to Sam Smith. Powers traces the erotic undercurrent of music in America from its beginnings up to the present. Just about all the key figures in popular music sashay across the pages of Good Booty. If you’re interested in the history of Rock & Roll, this is the book for you! What’s your favorite musical artist or group? GRADE: A-
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Preface p. xi
Introduction p. xv
1 The Taboo Baby: New Orleans, 1800-1900 p. 1
2 That Da Da Strain: Shimmying, Shaking, Sexology: New York, 1900-1929 p. 39
3 Let it Breathe on Me: Spiritual Erotics: Chicago, Birmingham, Memphis, 1929-1956 p. 75
4 Teen Dreams and Grown-Up Urges: The American Heartland, 1950-1960 p. 111
5 The Sexual Revolution and its Discontents: New York, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angels, 1961-1970 p. 155
6 Hard and Soft Realities: London, Los Angeles, New York, 1971-1979 p. 199
7 Oh No, It Hurts: Aids, Reagan, and the Backlash: New York, San Francisco, Seattle, 1977-1997 p. 245
8 Hungry Cyborgs: Britney, Beyonce, and the Virtual Frontier: Cyberspace, 1999-2016 p. 299
Epilogue p. 343
Acknowledgements p. 351
Notes p. 357
List of Illustrations p. 385
Index p. 387

20 thoughts on “GOOD BOOTY: LOVE AND SEX, BLACK & WHITE, BODY AND SOUL IN AMERICAN MUSIC By Ann Powers

  1. Steve Oerkfitz

    My favorite? Can’t narrow it down to one. Springsteen, Dylan, Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground, The Clash.

    Reply
  2. Deb

    Too many to name—but on a whim I just went to YouTube and clicked on MyMix, which is based on songs/artists you’ve listened to (or are LIKE songs and artists you’ve listened to, according to their algorithm). Here were the first five songs:

    SING: Ed Sheerin

    NEVER LET ME DOWN AGAIN: Depeche Mode

    PRETTY BALLERINA: Left Banke

    HAPPY: Rolling Stones

    GROOVE LINE: Heat Wave

    Yeah, that about sums it up. Make of it what you will.

    Reply
  3. Jeff Meyerson

    Impossible to narrow it down to one, probably impossible to narrow it to ten.

    Patti, we saw Lucinda Williams last week, with Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. You’d have loved it.

    People we’ve seen in concert in recent years: Jimmy Buffett, Earth Wind & Fire, Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, John Fogerty, Dion, Darlene Love, Steely Dan, Santana.

    That’s a sampling of some favorites.

    Reply
  4. wolf

    Too many to list …
    Rock was a very important part of my growing up in th 50s and 60s – when I started to “really work” in IT howeverin 1969 it disappeared in the background.
    And together with my love for science fiction it motivated me to learn English – that was an enormous help for me especially in the 70s and 80s and got me many interesting projects and travels – from the USA to Japan and China …
    So I really have to thank Chuck Berry, Tina Turner etc for my career! 🙂
    Even at university we were a minority, many students just wanted easy listening.

    PS:
    Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound also was a big influence on me and my friends.

    Reply
  5. Jeff Meyerson

    I agree on Phil Spector. Also Motown. Doo-Wop. The British Invasion groups. (We just listened to RUBBER SOUL and SERGEANT PEPPER over the weekend. Also THE BAND.)

    Reply
  6. Beth Fedyn

    I love the Beatles! Sirius XM found a subscriber for life when they put on a Beatles station.

    I do like some of the new music so this looks like something I might try. Thanks for the suggestion, George.

    Reply

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