Jawbone Press, Date: 2010-09-01. Paperback. Good. 2010. Jawbone Press ISBN 1906002290 9781906002299 [US]

Outline Press Ltd 2010 Trade paperback New ""Becoming Elektra" is an account of Elektra Records in the Jac Holzman years, from 1950 to 1973. It tells the story of Elektra's growth from a small independent folk label to a major, multi-faceted, hit making concern. Jac Holzman's role in founding and running the company is central to the story, and his capacity for lateral thinking-that led to innovations such as the first-ever sampler album, and a million-selling series of sound effects records-is a recurring theme. But the book is not just a story of one man's business success. It is also about the label's artists and the great music they produced, and other key people who gave the company its identity. "Becoming Elektra" places the label in a broad context. A gripping narrative drawing in elements of musical and cultural history, and biographies of the main participants in the story, the book opens with a pivotal moment in Elektra's history, when Holzman discovered The Doors. It then goes back to the previously untold story of Elektra in the 50s, when the label brought folk music to a wide audience through artists such as Jean Ritchie, Josh White, Theodore Bikel and Bob Gibson.

ISBN10: 1906002290, ISBN13: 9781906002299, [publisher: Jawbone Press] Softcover First Edition First Edition, 1st printing. 304pp. w/extensive Discography, Notes, photos & Index. Bright, clean & tight copy, unread, in FINE condition. "BECOMING ELEKTRA tells the story of one of the world's great record labels, the man who created it, the artists for whom it became home, and the turbulent times in which it came to prominence. Founded by a young hi-fi enthusiast called Jack Holzman while he was still a student, Elektra began as a tiny independent folk-music label and grew to become a major artistic and commercial force. Written with the full co-operation of Holzman, his colleagues, and many of Elektra's artists, this meticulous and entertaining book brings to life the golden years of the label, from 1950 to 1973. In the 50s, Elektra pioneered folk music with such artists as Jean Ritchie, Josh White and Bob Gibson and prepared the ground for the commercial folk boom at the end of the decade. That placed the label in pole position to sign many of the leading singers and singer-songwriters of the early 60s, including Judy Collins, Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, and Phil Ochs, before it introduced college audiences to electric blues with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Then, in the mid 60s, Elektra embraced rock music, discovering and nurturing artists such as Tim Buckley, The Doors, Love, Bread, The Incredible String Band, MC5, and The Stooges. BECOMING ...