Ken Bielen holds a doctorate in American culture studies from Bowling Green State University and is the retired director of the grants office at Indiana Wesleyan University.

• Preface1. From the Early Idols of Popular Music to the British Invasion2. 1960s Folk Music and the Move to Folk Rock3. From Sweet Sixties and Seventies Soul Music to Disco on the Cover4. Psychedelia and Beyond5. Images of Americana6. Singer-Songwriters and Song Interpreters

There was nothing like walking into a record store during the LP era and catching sight of an album cover that presented a vision of the artist, the music and a reflection of the times. We listened with our eyes before we tasted with our ears. Are they one of us? The images on an album cover are images of an artist as well as images of ourselves. Or at least the image they want to project is. Ken Bielen looks at album covers and uncovers a history of musical art in his book, Portraying Performer Image in Record Album Cover Art. He invites us to listen to what we’ve seen and see again what we’ve heard. Or dare I say that an album cover is worth a thousand songs?