A well-researched valentine to a lost world of seedy con men, promoters and club owners, the power brokers and hustlers who made the circuitry spark. Eddie Dean, Wall Street Journal Lauterbach spins the tale with enormous vitality and it s terribly fun to read. He masterfully explains the complex logistics of the entertainment industry, and studs the book with fascinating, little-known characters. . . . The reader will finish with an overwhelming urge to turn up the volume. Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe "A major achievement and an important contribution to American musical history. Booklist, starred review Opens new doors in pop-music scholarship as well as American (and African-American) cultural history. Michaelangelo Matos, A.V. Club T]he genius prequel to an oft-told epic. New Orleans Times-Picayune This sprawling, fascinating history drops readers into a chaotic, dangerous, utterly vanished world. John Repp, Cleveland Plain Dealer