Reviews

Larry Brownauthor of "The Rabbit Factory" and "Faye"As a child of the South and the '60s, I know in my heart that Mark Kemp has told the truth about what growing up here and loving music was like. But you don't have to be a Southerner to get it. Anybody who's listened to rock & roll or voted for the last forty years or so ought to be delighted by this fascinating, well-written, and entertaining new book.

Stephen J. Dubnerauthor of "Turbulent Souls" and "Confessions of a Hero-Worshiper"Though surely too much of a southern gentleman to admit it, Mark Kemp is every bit as audacious as the musicians he writes about. The story he tells here encompasses everything that is important about modern life. And he tells it beautifully, the cultural criticism and memoir blended seamlessly. He will make you see the South anew.

Dennis McNallyauthor of "A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead"Mark Kemp was part of the generation of young white southerners for whom Allman Brothers-style southern rock was not just music, but, as he persuasively argues, a redemptive escape from racism. "Dixie Lullaby" is a compelling memoir of growing up in the post-civil rights era South from a young man whose life was truly "saved by rock & roll."