Number One with an Axe! A Look at the Guitar’s Role in America’s #1 Hits

Pop music history for guitar lovers! The guitar's pre-eminence in rock & roll is well-known--but what about pop music? Specifically, what about the pinnacle of pop music: number one hit songs? Guitar gadfly and pop music lover Michael Rays takes you on a guitar-oriented tour through the history of Billboard's American number one hits, starting in 1955 with "Rock Around the Clock" and proceeding through Frankie Avalon's "Why"--the final #1 song of 1959. Rays rates each song on four guitar-centric criteria: Riffage, Rhythm Playing, Fills and Solos. He also writes brief commentaries on each song, noting the many strummed surprises, oddities and innovations that enriched the American soundtrack of the late 50s. This book is about great music, great memories, and great (and occasionally not-so-great) guitar!