Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'N' Roll Pioneers (review)

Record Makers and Breakers is a wonderful book as long as you know what you are getting. It is a book to use as a reference, to dip into at any spot, but it also works for a leisurely complete read. It does not work if you are looking for a highly organized, thorough history of the independent record men of early rock 'n' roll. Fortunately, John Broven explains this clearly in his preface. He calls it "more a series of case studies than an encyclopedic account" (ix) and admits "there may be some repetition of certain events" (ix). He also warns us that several important individuals do not get detailed coverage because he has featured them in previous books. The book focuses on the prime years of 1944-1966, but it does spill over on both ends.

So why is it wonderful? It is based on interviews with approximately 100 individuals, many of them multiple interviews, from 1973 to 2007. Broven uses extensive direct quotations throughout the 480 pages of the main text. Not all interviews are lengthy as a number of them are from telephone interviews and also from letters and e-mails. Yet his heavy use of direct quotation clearly emphasizes the primacy of the interviews.

Broven, author of other books and articles about this period, believes "It is time for the less visible to have their turn in the spotlight" (x). With an emphasis on the lesser known yet still important people and on direct quotations, the reader gets a wealth of colorful personal anecdotes not available elsewhere. Much has been written about the stars; Broven tells us about those who run the labels, those who distribute the records, the artist and repertoire (A&R) men, the disc jockeys, and the record store owners.

Incorporating interviews is the only way to compile a reasonably accurate history because "precious few record company files are open to public scrutiny, while much paperwork has been lost, dumped, or shredded along the way" (2). What most people "know" about these record men is how they "cheated" the artists out of their rightful royalties, so it is important to hear from those behind the scenes. After years of interviews, Broven says their "overriding sense of entrepreneurialism combined with business logic has continued to impress me," (3) and, after reading the book, me, too.

The book's five sections give an overview of the content: The Independent Revolution, Regional Sounds, The Hustle is On, Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay, and Appendices. There are seven appendices to help the researcher, including a list of the "Independent Record Distributors' Network," a list of pressing plants for the records, and a list of "Original Postwar Record Labels." The book also features four sections of black and white photos.

By being a series of interview-based case studies, many of the fascinating stories need to be pieced together from throughout the book; for example, those detailing the role of jukeboxes, payola, royalties, and regionalism. Regarding payola, we learn that it was simply the way of doing business. It does not seem that either those paying or receiving had any significant complaints. It was away for the independents to assure their records would get played. Aside from the chapter, "The Payola Scandal and Changing Times" (454-71), we learn so much more from interviews elsewhere in the book. As one example of how personal interpretations of the facts need to be pieced together for a full picture, here are four stories about payola.

Miriam Bienstock of Atlantic Records has an explanation of how many independents handled the payola scandal. She first told a story about Louis Armstrong recording outside his label. "When they played the record for him and asked, 'Who's that trumpet player?' he said, 'I don't know . . . but I'll never do it again.' Well, that's what we had to do with the federal government...