Chicagoland at 45 RPM

The greater Chicagoland area of the Midwest, from Illinois to Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa, well represented the profuse pop rock playlist of the mid-1960s. This prolific pocket produced a significant soundtrack between late 1965 into 1972 that reverberated from the Midwest across the country. The vibrant suburban scene produced nearly 40 singles that reached the record charts locally and regionally, with several of the 45s placing on the national listings. Some of the Chicagoland hits include "Kind of A Drag," "Vehicle," "Bend Me, Shape Me," and "Gloria," recorded by the Buckinghams, Ides of March, American Breed, and Shadows of Knight. This book, a geomusicultural chronicle, documents a multitude of Chicagoland bands and their music that sounded across neighborhoods, thriving teen clubs, television dance and variety shows, renowned recording studios, local independent and major record labels, and through the pervasive AM airwaves of two 50,000-watt downtown radio stations, WLS and WCFL, featuring lineups of dynamic disc jockeys. This period piece portrays a momentous mark within "that toddlin' town's" rich music heritage.

George Plasketes is a professor of media studies in the School of Communication & Journalism at Auburn University in Alabama. His published writings include six books, essays, journal articles and book chapters on a variety of music, media and cultural topics.