Hello! I listen to music from all sorts of eras, and even though I didn't live during the 70s or 80s, I think due to their ongoing popularity I still have a decent understanding of those two decades of music. Now, with artists before that, my understanding is somewhat basic. Obviously I know the big names and some of their songs, but unlike some 70s and 80s artists, I never listened through a whole discography of an artist that started making music before the 70s, because a large discography with a lot of lack of context just seems overwhelming and therefore discouraging.
It would be great if some of you could recommend biographies or autobiographies which particularly dive into the songs/albums of pre-70s music artists that explain these within their context and not just go through the live of the artists on their own. I specifically want the book to focus on songs/albums, such that I can read and understand the context and listen along to the music to get an appreciation that is otherwise difficult to achieve for someone who did not live during those times.
I'm sure it's self evident, but for clarity: It's fine if the music carries over from 60s to 70s to 80s etc, it doesn't have to be artists that strictly made music prior to the 70s. An example of an artist that I'd be interested in is Bob Dylan, since he is highly regarded for his lyricism and lived and impacted a historically important time. He's probably the pre-70s artist I know the most about contextually, but I think especially as a non-American I could still learn a lot more about those times in America and the music of a man that was influenced by that era. Any artist that started before the 70s and has good/great lyricism would be a great recommendation.
Thank you for your help in advance 🙂
by BooksAndTheSun