Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll, 1953–1968

A rip-snorting rock ‘n’ roll memoir from the legendary disc jockey who’s been called “the missing link to the Sixties.”

There was a small sliver of time between Bebop and Hip-Hop, when a new generation of teenagers created rock ‘n’ roll. Clay Cole was one of those teenagers, as the host of his own Saturday night pop music television show. Sh-Boom! is the pop culture chronicle of that exciting time, 1953 to 1968, when teenagers created their own music, from swing bands and pop to rhythm and blues, cover records, a cappella, rockabilly, folk-rock, and girl groups; from the British Invasion to the creation of the American Boy Band. He was the first to introduce Chubby Checker performing “The Twist”; the first to present the Rolling Stones, Tony Orlando, Dionne Warwick, Neil Diamond, Bobby Vinton, the Rascals, the Ronettes, the Four Seasons, Dion, and dozens more; the first to introduce music video clips, discotheque, go-go girls and young unknown standup comedians Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Fannie Flagg to a teenage television audience.

But after fifteen years of fame, Clay walked away from his highly popular Saturday night show at the age of thirty—and remained out of the spotlight for over forty years. Well, he’s missing no longer; he’s back with a remarkable story to tell. Brimming with the gossip, scandal and heartbreak of the upstart billion-dollar music biz, Sh-Boom! is a breezy, behind-the-scenes look at “live” television, mom-and-pop record companies, and a boozy, Mafia-run Manhattan during the early days of rock ‘n’ roll.

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