In the early days of rock and roll, music created by non-white artists was called “race” music. Those sounds later became known as R&B and Soul – terms that exist still today.
Industry executives Dr. Logan H. Westbrooks and Schuyler “Sky” Traughber are among the record execs who were responsible for marketing and globalizing the genre.
Westbrooks and Traughber have written a book – “Power 101: The Harvard Report, Soul Music and the American Dream” – which tells the story of bringing R&B and Soul music to the forefront of the music industry with a “roller coaster ride” using personal and public domain stories.
Along with the artists and music were topping the charts, there were other people in the music industry who were greedy and took payoffs.
More than just a read on the music industry during the 70’s, “Power 101” challenges the reader to draw some conclusions of their own.
Director of Archives of African American Music and Culture at Indiana University Dr. Tyron Cooper spoke on the book saying, “this is a must read for any enthusiast of the musical tradition desiring to learn from a trailblazer who was there when it all unfolded. Here is Westbrooks’ masterclass for students of Soul.”
As a record executive, Westbrooks has helped created 50 gold and 25 platinum records.
featrue photo credit: Dr Logan Westbrooks website