The career of the Beatles, England's and probably the world's most famous rock'n'roll musical group of the 1960s, has interested a wide variety of people from journalists to rock historians, from popular writers to the American public. In this one-volume reference book, McKeen traces The Beatles' career from the first American appearance in a film clip on the Jack Paar show in 1964 to their breakup in 1970. The first part of the book contains a biographical essay, and chapters on the group's work--albums, films, performances--their influence on popular culture, and a summary of what happened to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr after the dissolution of the group in 1970. Part II continues with reference material, a discography, a bibliography and a list of concerts, television appearances, and film performances. The final chapter is a chronology of events from 1940-1970. This book is an invaluable resource for courses in Rock Music, Popular Music, and Introduction to Music. It is also a priceless reference book for rock historians and will certainly interest Beatle fans.
For Hemingway and Fitzgerald, there was Paris in the twenties. Later generations had Big Sur, Greenwich Village and Woodstock.
But in the Seventies, there was Key West. That was where a generation of artists -- Thomas McGuane, Jim Harrison, Jimmy Buffett, Hunter Thompson and others -- found their style and artistic voice.
In Mile Marker Zero (Crown, 2011) William McKeen tells the story of these remarkable artists and how this two-by-four island at the end of the road shaped their lives. For hundreds of years, pirates and poets and pot smugglers and painters have called the wacky little town home. Here are the stories of a generation that nearly went crazy from the heat. Grab your margarita and lock up your children.
McKeen is the author of Outlaw Journalist (W.W. Norton, 2008), Highway 61 (W.W. Norton, 2003), Rock and Roll is Here to Stay (W.W. Norton, 2000) and several other books about American music and popular culture.
He's also completed an anthology of stories about growing up in Florida called Homegrown (University Press of Florida, 2012).
He teaches at Boston University and chairs its journalism department. He was a newspaper reporter and magazine editor before beginning his teaching career.
He is a father of seven children and lives with his wife Nicole, a magazine editor, on the rocky coast of Cohasset, Massachusetts.
Please visit www.williammckeen.com
