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The demise of rock stars in new book

I recently spoke with David Hepworth about his book, Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars, which explores his theory that the era of the rock star began in 1955 and ended in 1995 with the advent of computers & social media.  He's divided the book into 40 chapters, one for each year between 1955 and 1995 beginning with Little Richard's New Orleans recording of "Tutti Fruitti" for Specialty Records in 1955.

Other chapters focus on dates like the Beatles breakup in 1968, the Rolling Stones in 1972, and Bob Marley in the 1975 chapter.  The 1980's chapters feature the "This is Spinal Tap" movie (1983), Bob Geldof & the Live Aid concerts (1985) and Elton John's Sotheby's auction in London (1988).  Some of the women mentioned in other chapters include Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, and Madonna.

It's a fascinating book for those of us who lived during that time frame with rock and roll music interwoven into the essential fabric of our lives.  Music historians will also enjoy this read.