Don't Bother Knockin'... This Town's A Rockin' : A History of Traditional Rhythm and Blues & Early Rock'n' Roll In Buffalo, New York [Paperback]

Gary Lee (Author), Patti Meyer Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2000

Chronicles the importance of national and local historical events that led to the development of the Buffalo style of traditional R&B. The Western New York area has spawned some significant R&B players who have laid down their tracks on the national scene over the decades- Dyke and The Blazers, Darrell Banks, Boogie woogie piano man Stan Szelest (The Band) and Gary Mallaber (Van Morrison, Steve Miller Band, Bruce Springsteen).

Also Chronicles early rock'n'roll radio in Buffalo which featured the infamous George "Hound dog" Lorenz.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Buffalo Sounds Press (October 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097017490X
• ISBN-13: 978-0970174901
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,212,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother Knockin'- This Town's a Rockin', August 8, 2003

By 

"snoscene" (New Orleans) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Bother Knockin'... This Town's A Rockin' : A History of Traditional Rhythm and Blues & Early Rock'n' Roll In Buffalo, New York (Paperback)

Unlike most books on popular music, this book focusses on the musicians' personal experiences (lots of oral history here) rather than long analyses on so and so's drumming technique. Therefore, it is an interesting read- not boring for someone who is not a musician. What else is interesting aboutthis book is the style in which it is written. It is very simple- sometimes almost too simple- the exact opposite of academic writing. I felt like I was 13 years old again listening to my relatives talk in the family home basement bar in Cheektowaga- that is if they were more hip and actually knew about this kind of music.

Positive: Lots of content and fun stories, lots of detail about the clubs, radio stations, etc. in Buffalo during the 50's-60's.
Made me feel like I was really born too late!
I liked the lack of academic BS- it just got to the point and gave me the lowdown.

Negative: Sometimes the book takes on an apologetic and earnest tone- not unusual for Buffalonians. Also, the beginning part of the book could have been cut out- it was too general compared to the rest of the book.