Rock and Roll will never die (as long as we have anything to say about it)

They live forever in the indelible images seared into our collective memory: Chuck Berry duck-walking across the stage; Jimi Hendrix kneeling as flames rise from his Stratocaster; thousands of screaming, fainting fans awaiting four mop-top lads from Liverpool. These iconic moments and many, many more are captured from six decades of music history in the pages of the new book Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen (October 2017).

Jimi Hendrix at the Fillmore East, New York City, May 10, 1968 (Photo by Steve Banks-Studio 6, Smithsonian Books)

Smithsonian Rock and Roll includes hundreds of previously unpublished photos, many from fans, expressing the energy, rebellion, and joy of this American-born genre. It covers 140 artists, ranging from Elvis Presley, Richie Valens, Jimmy Reed and The Velvet Underground to Joni Mitchell, The Who, Sex Pistols, Jack White and Adele.

Marilyn Scallan spoke with author Bill Bentley, who  has written the liner notes for many notable albums and whose 40-year career in the music business is as varied as the artists in the book—drummer, record-store clerk, DJ, concert promoter, music producer and record-label publicist— about his latest venture.

The term rock ‘n’ roll is quite broad, as witnessed by the variety of acts represented in the book—how do you define it?

Bentley: Rock ’n’ roll is music first inspired by the explosive collision of blues and country. From those earliest creations, the music evolved into an incredibly wide range of styles that always reflects the initial excitement of rock’s roots. It’s really a music that includes whatever musicians put their emotion and passion into as they express themselves. It’s a declaration of freedom, and it includes everything from Elvis Presley to the Sex Pistols and beyond.

The Beach Boys, Al Jardine (guitar at left), Mike Love (center mic), Dennis Wilson (drums), and Carl Wilson (guitar at right) at the Spectrum, Philadelphia, Aug. 11, 1976 (Photo by Joe Schrier, Smithsonian Books)

How did the book come about? Where did you get the idea for it?

Smithsonian Rock and Roll started with the idea that fans around the world might have photographs they’d taken over the years of shows they’d seen or experiences they’d had with the music. And by sharing those photos with others, first by submitting them to the Smithsonian website, everyone could see what had come before. As someone who’s been writing about rock ’n’ roll for 45 years, I was fortunate to be asked to help create the book. Smithsonian Book’s Director of Marketing Matt Litts and I have known each other 25 years, going back to when I worked at Warner Bros. Records as a publicist and Matt was the tour manager for Flaming Lips, who were on our label. He asked me if I was interested in working on the book, and I jumped out of my chair and said ‘Yes please!’ It has been a dream come true for me. My great joy in life is sharing my love of music, and this was the perfect opportunity to do that.

How did you choose the photos for the book?

In choosing the photos, I always looked for an image that would give me the same excitement I get when I hear rock ’n’ roll being played. It’s a tingling that starts simultaneously in the bottom of my soles and the top of my head and reaches all the way inside me until small explosions erupt in my soul. That might sound a little over the top, but it happens continuously when I see or hear great music.

Once we found the very best photos, I started looking at rock ‘n’ roll’s history and all it entails and came up with a list of artists that I thought represented the important participants in that history, whether they were household names or less-known masters of the music. I also wanted to be expansive in how rock ’n’ roll is defined, and include artists from country, blues, and soul who really helped rock ’n’ roll music become the defining sound of the world.

Metallica 1985. Cliff Burton, Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett at Day on the Green at the Oakland Coliseum, Calif., Aug. 31, 1985 (Photo by John Umphrey, Smithsonian Books)

What makes a great rock ‘n’ roll moment?

A great rock ’n’ roll picture is, simply, one you can’t take your eyes off; at the same time, it spurs the memory to play the music inside your head. The image brings the music to life. When it can do that, it’s magical. There’s no one way to define it, except you know it instantly when you see it and you hear it at the same time.

Rap music now outsells rock music, and many people have concluded that rock is dead. What do you see for the future of rock.

It might be an old saying, but it’s still 100 percent true: rock ’n’ roll will never die. As long as artists play music and listeners are there to hear it, no matter how it’s defined, rock ’n’ roll will live forever. The reason for that isn’t complicated: people yearn to feel free, and this music is one of the best agents for freedom there has ever existed. The sounds themselves may change, and cause all kinds of upheavals for fans old and new, but the result remains the same. Rock ’n’ roll will set you free. And that is one of the greatest gifts that can ever be shared, and can never be stopped as long as humans are able to dream.

Amy Winehouse at the Octagon Centre, Sheffield University, Sheffield, UK, March 3, 2007 (Photo by Grenville Charles, Smithsonian Books)

This is an edited version of an interview originally published by Smithsonian Insider.

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