Preston Lauterbach 
The Chitlin’ Circuit: And the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll 

“Lauterbach’s tribute . . . is welcome and overdue.” —Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post

For generations, ‘chitlin’ circuit’ has meant second tier—brash performers in raucous nightspots far from the big-city limelight. Now, music journalist Preston Lauterbach combines terrific firsthand reportage with deep historical research to offer a groundbreaking account of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll in black America.

About the author

Preston Lauterbach is the author of Bluff City, Beale Street Dynasty, The Chitlin’ Circuit, a Wall Street Journal and Boston Globe book of the year, and co-author of Brother Johnson: Growing Up with Robert Johnson. He is a former visiting scholar at Rhodes College and a Virginia Humanities Fellow. He lives in Virginia.