Tear Down the Walls: White Radicalism and Black Power in 1960s Rock

White musicians have historically achieved fame, wealth, and success in rock and roll, while Black artists have been overlooked. Tear Down the Walls by Patrick Burke explores how white American and British rock musicians engaged with Black Power politics and African American music during the 1960s, casting themselves as political revolutionaries. Burke neither condemns nor elevates these artists, providing a fresh look at 1960s rock that reveals how popular music reflects and informs our ideas about race.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 10 May 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

From the very beginnings of rock and roll, white musicians have consistently enjoyed fame, wealth, and success that have eluded their Black counterparts, whose work preceded and inspired them. This dynamic persisted into the 1960s, even as the music and its fans became more politically engaged with issues related to race. In his book, Tear Down the Walls, Patrick Burke explores the story of white American and British rock musicians' engagement with Black Power politics and African American music during the tumultuous years of 1968 and 1969. The book sheds new light on a significant but overlooked aspect of 1960s rock: white musicians and audiences casting themselves as political revolutionaries by enacting a romanticized vision of African American identity. These artists' attempts to present themselves as revolutionary were often naive, misguided, or arrogant, but they could also reflect genuine interest in African American music and culture and sincere investment in anti-racist politics.

Popular rock groups like Jefferson Airplane, the Rolling Stones, and the MC5 were fascinated with Black performance and rhetoric, perpetuating a long history of racial appropriation and misrepresentation while making thoughtful, self-aware attempts to respectfully present African American music in forms that white leftists found politically relevant. Burke does not condemn white rock musicians as inauthentic or elevate them as revolutionary. Instead, he offers a fresh perspective on 1960s rock that provides new insight into how popular music both reflects and informs our ideas about race and how white musicians and activists can engage meaningfully with Black political movements.

In conclusion, Tear Down the Walls is a valuable contribution to the study of 1960s rock and its relationship to politics. Burke's exploration of white musicians' engagement with Black Power politics and African American music offers a nuanced and complex understanding of this period, challenging traditional narratives and providing new insight into the ways in which popular music both reflects and informs our ideas about race.

Weight: 508g
Dimension: 159 x 237 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226768182