Music history
The Chitlin' Circuit
Preston Lauterbach
Lauterbach follows the promoters, musicians, and venues that sustained Black touring circuits.
Reading list
The House Rockers
Kentucky rhythm and blues in the wider history of regional bands, touring, and recording.
Read about a Kentucky band in the Lyric exhibit, then follow the circuits in Preston Lauterbach and the Memphis studio world in Robert Gordon. These books give musical and industry context. Use the exhibit and its sources for the House Rockers’ own history.
Visit the related Lyric pageContinue the story
Recommended reading
Music history
Respect Yourself
Robert Gordon
Stax Records offers a vantage point on Memphis soul, collaboration, and the pressures surrounding the label.
Music history
Blues People
Amiri Baraka
Baraka reads changes in Black music alongside changes in work, migration, and social life.
Drama
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
August Wilson
A recording session brings musicians and industry power into collision as Ma Rainey insists on her terms.
Music history
Sweet Soul Music
Peter Guralnick
Musicians, producers, and studios tell the story of Southern soul across a network of regional scenes.
Biography
Dream Boogie
Peter Guralnick
A biography follows Cooke from gospel performance into popular music and independent business ventures.
Music history
Feel Like Going Home
Peter Guralnick
Profiles of performers and record makers offer a listener’s path into blues and early rock and roll.
Music history
The History of the Blues
Francis Davis
A critical history moves among regional blues scenes, recordings, and debates over musical authenticity.
Biography
Moanin' at Midnight
James Segrest, Mark Hoffman
Howlin’ Wolf’s biography follows his path from Mississippi to the Chicago electric blues scene.
Biography
King of the Blues
Daniel de Visé
B. B. King’s life connects rural beginnings, touring labor, and the international reach of electric blues.
Biography
Respect
David Ritz
A biography examines the gospel inheritance and recording career behind Franklin’s public sound.