Music was changing rapidly in the 1950s. Not only did this hugely significant decade host the birth of rock'n'roll, but the popularisation of the electric guitar led to new styles, new combinations of different kinds of music, and a concentration on the guitar as one of the prime instruments at the heart of a musical revolution. For the first time this book tells how the electric guitar grew up and established itself during ten mesmerising years.

Classic Guitars Of The 1950s analyses the decade's guitars and places them in the context of the music of the time. We see Chet Atkins at work on his pop-country hybrid and Les Paul shaping his New Sound, widening the popularity and appeal of the electric guitar; we hear the low-down twang of Duane Eddy's hit records; watch Scotty Moore at work with Elvis Presley, and Frank Beecher behind Bill Haley; and investigate the black R&B of Chuck Berry and the white pop of Buddy Holly.

This was the first decade in which the electric guitar gained widespread acceptance, and the key instruments are shown in colourful glory, each redolent of the new design ethic that swept popular culture in the 1950s. Guitars featured include: the Fender Broadcaster (1950); Gibson L-5CES (1951); Gibson Les Paul Model (1952); Gretsch Duo Jet (1953); Fender Stratocaster (1954); Gretsch White Falcon (1955); Danelectro U2 (1956); Gibson Les Paul Custom (1957); Rickenbacker Capri (1958); and Gibson's ES-355 (1959).

Classic Guitars of the Fifties features special essays by the world's top writers on guitar history, enhancing the book's panoramic view. André Duchossoir of Gibson Electrics fame writes on Gibson, American Guitars author Tom Wheeler on US electrics, Stan Jay of leading vintage guitar dealer Mandolin Bros on collectibles, guitar journalist Rikky Rooksby on rock'n'roll guitars, Guitar Stories author Michael Wright on mail-order guitars and radio & TV in the 1950s, Tennessean reporter Thomas Goldsmith on country guitars, Gruhn's Vintage Guitars Guide author Walter Carter on Fender, 'guitar guru' Paul Day on British and European guitars, Fender Amp Book author John Morrish on recording trends, Guitar Magazine's Dave Burrluck on guitar construction, Portrait of the Blues author Paul Trynka on blues and R&B, BBC broadcaster Charles Alexander on jazz guitars, and Bizarre Guitars author Hiroyuki Noguchi on Japanese instruments of the 1950s.

Price: £18.95