Lifelong rock & roll journalist Ed Ward joins the show to talk about his new book, The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 1: 1920-1963 (Flatiron Books). We get into how he discovered his calling, how he memorized Billboard charts the way other kids memorized baseball cards, the joy of being a "rootless cosmopolitan", the music world's shift from A&R to audience-driven songwriting (and why they were tired of guys named Bobby from Philadelphia), why Tutti Frutti is the "first" rock & roll record, how he wound up in Texas, the experience of meeting 50-somethings who don't know Chuck Berry's Maybelline, how he got hired at and fired from Rolling Stone, and more! More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Patreon or Paypal