American Bandstand Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock 'n' Roll Empire [Paperback]

I don't make culture, I sell it Dick Clark once remarked. Indeed, the man who reigned as host ofAmerican Bandstandfor nearly four decades may not have invented rock 'n' roll, but he sold it to the American public better than anyone before or since. Before Clark, rock 'n' roll was the step child of radio--which took to playing records as a cost-saving measure after television siphoned off radios most lucrative sponsors. But it was network television--and specifically ClarksBandstand--that ultimately legitimized what was then viewed by most adults as vulgar, low-class music, broadcasting a sanitized vision of rock 'n' roll straight into Americas living rooms five afternoons a week.
Here is the first book to tell the full story of what happened in front of--and behind--the cameras on Dick Clark'sAmerican Bandstand, providing both a history of this landmark show and of the changing styles of rock 'n' roll over four decades. Based on extensive interviews with music business figures, recording stars, and Clark himself, and featuring dozens of rare or never before published photographs, this is a riveting and uncensored account of a show that managed to survive countless revolutions in popular music. Jackson describesBandstandshumble beginnings in Philadelphias blue collar south side, the sex scandal that scuttled the first host ofBandstandand enabled Clark to launch his career, the glory days when an appearance onBandstandwas one of the most prized gigs in the music business and when teenagers lined up for blocks hoping to enter the studio, and memorableBandstandappearances by rock 'n' roll royalty from Chubby Checker and Frankie Avalon, to Jerry Lee Lewis and Jefferson Airplane, to Pink Floyd and Madonna. Here as well is a candid look at the backstage financial maneuvering that allowed Clark to launch a video and entertainment empire worth nearly $200 million dollars today. Voted Most Likely To Sell Thlc+