“Why Britain Rocked should be on every music fans literary radar. Prepare to be enlightened.”

“It’s this complicated relationship between the past and present and a sense of duality that drives ‘Why Britain Rocked.’ The UK’s fascination with American music and culture for instance pre-dated the 1950’s by some margin, from the abhorrent minstrel shows which became a music hall hit in England in the late nineteenth century, to the championing of the multi-talented Paul Robeson. In a chapter entitled ‘The People’s Artist’, Sharkey hits her stride beautifully with one of the first examples of the rise and fall of black genius, citing Robeson’s close affiliation with the working classes of Britain to his struggles back home with the FBI. To the initiated ( like me ) it’s always fascinating to be presented with an inspirational story like Robeson’s, crossed with a tinge of guilt too that my knowledge of the origins of Afro-American creativity are rooted in some vague notion of the Delta Blues, which were plainly just a crosswind in the cultural hurricane.

It’s certainly a new spin on the age-old origins of British rock and roll and with such an erudite book as this one, it will be interesting to see where Elizabeth Sharkey goes next. For now ‘Why Britain Rocked’ should be on every music fans literary radar. Prepare to be enlightened.”

— Craig Campbell, Louder Than War