Rock Music Icons

Robert McParland is professor of English and humanities at Felician University in New Jersey.

The 13 essays McParland has gathered look at how rock music icons influenced music and impacted culture. Rock enthusiasts might balk at Bob Marley and Madonna—who are included because they have what Thomas Kitts states in his foreword is “a rock and roll sensibility—but one cannot argue with their contributions to the genre. Also included Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Billy Joel, Roger Waters, Bruce Springsteen, Morrissey, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Ozzy Osbourne, Kurt Cobain, and Metallica. The introduction looks at the “king of rock” himself, Elvis Presley. The contributors to the volume include a high-school teacher; a music journalist; and university-level professors in the fields of English, communications, media and cultural studies, history, and music. All bring their own perspectives on the contributions of the artists they discuss. Scholars and fans of music, culture, and history will surely find this book both enlightening and entertaining. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates; general readers.