by Max Decharne
Serpent’s Tail, $18.95, 326 pages
A Rocket in My Pocket, The Hipster’s Guide to Rockabilly Music by Max DéCharné chronicles the rise of what was originally called Rockabilly music, later known as rock-n-roll. Most guides are dull reading, but this is not the case with this book. It’s written in a conversational style, as if the author is talking directly to the reader. Yes, it’s full of dates and facts, but it’s told in story form, not just cold dates and hard facts, but the stories that go with them. How and where Mr. DéCharné found all the stories he tells in this book, is a mystery. If you have any interest in music of the era, or later, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s fun reading, and educates you in the process on where that music came from. The book starts off using Elvis in 1955 as a prime example of Rockabilly, and how it wasn’t accepted by the country music fans and establishment, nor was it the popular music of the day then, but it soon became wildly popular, as we all know now. Everyone with an interest in music should own this book, whether you only like listening to or play an instrument.
Dave Broughton