The Birth of Loud

The opening chapters of this book, which truly focus on the development of the electric guitar and the personalities involved, are probably the best narrative nonfiction I have read so far. To hear about the differing opinions and backgrounds of figures such as Leo Fender, Les Paul, and Paul Bigsby, and how those differences influenced their respective approaches to the instrument, was truly illuminating and immersive. Some readers have criticized The Birth of Loud for its focus on relatively technical features of guitar design, but I was living for those sorts of details. I would love to read a similar work that focuses entirely on the instrument development angle, though I understand that such a book would probably be more difficult to market to a general audience.

As Port branches out into the history of rock ‘n' roll itself, The Birth of Loud loses its direction somewhat: many cameos from figures such as The Beatles, Carol Kaye, and James Jamerson are undeniably interesting, but the shape of the narrative grows muddled. I will concede that Port's description of Jimi Hendrix's performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock was superb. (And it was quite satisfying to read about Hendrix taking Eric Clapton down a peg.)

I love the guitar itself more than I love rock music, so your mileage certainly may vary. If you love both the guitar and rock music, this is the ideal read for you. If you're like me, you'll still have a good time.