Small Town, Big Music: The Outsized Influence of Kent, Ohio, on the History of Rock and Roll

by Jason Prufer, Joe Walsh (Foreword by)

Overview

2020 IPPY Awards Gold Medalist, Great Lakes Best Regional Nonfiction

Relying on oral histories, hundreds of rare photographs, and original music reviews, this book explores the countercultural fringes of Kent, Ohio, over four decades. Firsthand reminiscences from musicians, promoters, friends, and fans recount arena shows featuring acts like Pink Floyd, The Clash, and Paul Simon as well as the grungy corners of town where Joe Walsh, Patrick Carney, Chrissie Hynde, and DEVO refined their crafts. From back stages, hotel rooms, and the saloons of Kent, readers will travel back in time to the great rockin’ nights hosted in this small town.

More than just a retrospective on performances that occurred in one midwestern college town, Prufer’s book illuminates a fascinating phenomenon: both up-and-coming and major artists knew Kent was a place to play—fertile ground for creativity, spontaneity, and innovation. From the formation of Joe Walsh’s first band, The Measles, and the creation of DEVO in Kent State University’s art department to original performances of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and serendipitous collaborations like Emmylou Harris and Good Company in the Water Street Saloon, the influence of Kent’s music scene has been powerful. Previously overshadowed by our attention to Cleveland as a true music epicenter, Prufer’s book is an excellent and corrective addition.

Extensively researched for eight years and lavishly illustrated, Small Town, Big Music is the most comprehensive telling of any of these stories in one place. Rock historians and fans alike will want to own this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606354476
Publisher:	Kent State University Press
Publication date:	03/21/2022
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	675,386
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Jason Prufer received his bachelor’s degree in art history from Kent State University and has been employed by the Kent State University Library for nearly 20 years. He has written for the Cleveland Free Times, Kent Patch, and numerous historical rock and roll blogs. Since 2011 Prufer has also worked as publicist and social media manager for the Numbers Band, an experimental rock band formed in Kent in 1969.

Table of Contents

Foreword Joe Walsh vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Joe Walsh's Measles on the Kent State Commons October 1966 00:01

Interlude: The Lovin' Spoonful 00:17

Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong, 1967 Homecoming Extravaganza 00:19

October 21, 1967

Interlude: The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Eric Burdon and the Animals, B. B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, the Reverend Gary Davis, Sha Na Na and Jefferson Airplane, and Parliament-Funkadelic 00:27

Chrissie Hynde 00:41

Fall 1971

Interlude: Sly and the Family Stone, Ravi Shankar, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Yes, and Santana 00:44

Pink Floyd's Dark Side of Kent 00:56

March 10, 1973

Interlude: James Taylor and the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention 00:64

Paul Simon's 1973 Homecoming in Kent State's Memorial Gym 00:70

October 20, 1973

Interlude: Earth, Wind & Fire 00:80

Bruce Springsteen's 1974 Party in Kent 00:82

January 19, 1974

Interlude: Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and the Kent State Jazz Lab Band, Herbie Hancock, local Kent bands, and Sun-Ra 00:86

DEVO's Seminal 1975 Night on Kent State's Front Campus 00:94

April 4, 1975

Interlude: The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt 01:01

North Water Street High and Lows: Emmylou Harris and the December 1975 Fire 01:03

July 9, 1975, and December 3, 1975

Interlude: Roxy Music, J. Geils Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Patti Smith, Peter Gabriel, and Stephen Stills 01:15

Bo Diddley Backed by the Numbers Band (15-60-75) 01:23

Septembers, 1980

Interlude: The Waitresses and Unit 5, Hall and Oates, Koko Taylor, Sonny Rollins and Pat Metheny, Son Seals, the Clash, Todd Rundgren, the Stray Cats, and Black Flag 01:32

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1984 Punk Funk Explosion at JB's Down in Kent 01:49

November 17, 1984

Interlude: Joe Walsh; the Ramones; Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts; the Replacements; Great White, Tesla, and Badlands; and Iggy Pop 01:54

Legendary Vermont Jam Band Phish Descended upon the MAC Center 01:63

November 12, 1994

Interlude: Dink, Peter, Paul and Mary, John Densmore, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and local Kent bands 01:69

Black Keys Member Patrick Carney and His Early Days in Kent's Music Scene 01:77

July 22, 1997, and August 31, 1997

Interlude: The Wallflowers, Fugazi, Arlo Guthrie, the Smashing Pumkins, MTV Invasion Tour, Chuck D, Spitfire Tour, and Joe Walsh 01:88

Index 02:00