Australia Rocks - remembering the music of the 1950''s to 1990's

  

Australia Rocks - Remembering the Music of the 1950s to 1990s

Lucy Desoto
1 October 2016, RRP $49.99 HB
 Exisle Publishing    

 

•           Photographs, memorabilia and evocative text combine to create the perfect dance down memory lane for anyone growing up in the glory days of rock n’ roll.

•           Includes all the lead artists and bands from the 1950s right up to the end of the 1990s, as well as the many independent, lesser-known performers who helped to shape the industry.

•           Traces the evolution of the Australian rock music scene in the context of global events and the influence of American culture.

•           Written by an author who’s truly lived rock ’n’ roll; Lucy Desoto is an internationally recognised performer and recording artist with a career spanning 30 years.

Australian rock music has a rich history of performers and bands that have created not just the soundtrack for Australian lives but have also shaped the international music scene. In the early days of the 1950s and ’60s, Australian rock saw performers like Johnny O’Keefe and The Easybeats. The 1970s saw Cold Chisel and AC/DC, among others, performing to packed halls locally. AC/DC turned this into international success, blasting through three decades of touring and performing. However, it was only in the 1980s and 1990s that Australian rock truly made its mark on the international stage with iconic bands such as Men at Work, Midnight Oil and INXS.

Australia Rocks brings the bands and the times to life through unique photographs and evocative text. Written by a rock musician, it also goes beyond the ‘big names’ to highlight the many independent, often lesser-known performers who played such an integral part in shaping the industry, and shines a light on how rock music was not only influenced by global events (the Vietnam War, for example) but also formed part of enormous cultural shifts (the Swinging Sixties, the protest movement, etc.). From the demure dance halls of the 1950s to the smoke-filled pubs of the 1970s and the packed concerts of the 1990s and beyond, Australia Rocks will have music lovers dusting off their vinyl collection and remembering the good times.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucy Desoto is an internationally recognised rock musician, who has sung and played keyboards with some of Australia’s leading musicians. Lucy has an honours degree in Media Arts and a Doctorate of Creative Arts. Now based in Alice Springs, Lucy continues to rock ’n’ roll. This is her first book