A thorough and entertaining academic breakdown of one of the most debated and controversial subjects of pop music for nearly a century, the white appropriation of Black music and its positive and negative societal and artistic ramifications, Just Around Midnight is also a balanced narrative to the evolution of popular music culled from the melting pot of America.
Author Jack Hamilton does a magnificent job presenting all sides of the issue with copious research and wonderful juxtapositions of key figures, formative moments, and a series of the most important and groundbreaking music that defines it.
Using key participants in the flow of cross-pollinating artists from Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, to Motown and the British invasion and how all of these musical giants influenced, borrowed, stole, shared, and in many ways, unwittingly connected their work, the book is a whirlwind of newly figured theories and historical revelations that assist our understanding of how music can be organically infused into society inside or beyond racial boundaries.
Just Around Midnight is an important contribution to understanding the scope of music’s journey through the decades and those who write, perform and add to its legacy and a seminal voice for future discussions on its lasting impact on us all.
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