AND THE ROOTS OF RHYTHM REMAIN:
A JOURNEY THROUGH GLOBAL MUSIC
“What an amazing book! I doubt I’ll ever read a better account of the history and sociology of popular music than this one. It has me saying ‘Wow’ on every page.”
Brian Eno
“A gift to the world. Blow your mind and your speakers.”
Cerys Matthews
“Profound . . . and beyond.”
Robert Plant
“One only hopes this can be taught in schools.”
Ry Cooder
“Love this book. Joe gives us the wider and deeper contexts that shaped music. And, in many cases, he was there. It’s big, but it’s a page turner!”
David Byrne
“Joe Boyd has an acute ear for music and an astute eye for talent. Here he reveals the searching intellect, the generous spirit, and the deep heart beneath his extraordinary life’s work.”
T Bone Burnett
MUSIC
If any book needs a soundtrack, it’s And the Roots of Rhythm Remain. While a full-on website with links to hundreds of clips and recordings of artists and styles I write about in the book remains ‘under construction’, we’ve put together some 100-song playlists. These contain highlights and favourites from every chapter. Enjoy!
TOUR
More dates TBA
2025
3 Feb | Jaipur, India | Jaipur Literature Festival – In conversation with Caroline Eden
18 Mar | Saugerties, NY, US | The Local
20 Mar | Chicago, IL, US | Old Town School of Folk Music
24 Mar | Minneapolis, MN, US | The Cedar Cultural Center
26-29 Mar | Knoxville, TN, US | Big Ears Festival – In residence
31 Mar | Atlanta, GA, US | A Capella Books/Manuel’s Tavern – In conversation with Dust-to-Digital’s Lance Ledbetter
3 Apr | Philadelphia, PA, US | Barnes & Noble – In conversation with Tom Moon
5 Apr | Baltimore, MD, US | Design Distillery
6 Apr | Washington, DC, US | Politics & Prose (Conn Ave)
9 Apr | Brooklyn, NY, US | POWERHOUSE Arena – Paperback Launch
13 Apr | Toronto, ON | The Rivoli
26 Apr | London, UK | Ealing Book Festival – In conversation with Mark Cooper
6-8 Jun | Borris, Ireland | Festival of Writing & Ideas – In conversations with William Dalrymple and Glen Hansard
12 July | London, UK | Idler Festival
27 July | Suffolk, UK | Latitude Festival
22 Aug | Edinburgh, UK | Edinburgh International Book Festival
2 Sep | Miami, FL, US | Books and Books
4-7 Sep | Querétaro, Mexico | Hay Festival Querétaro – In Conversation with Mariana H
10 Sep | Seattle, WA, US | Northwest Film Forum / Elliott Bay Book Company
11 Sep | San Francisco, CA, US | Roxie / Book Passage
13 Sep | Ojai, CA, US | Ojai Playhouse / Hotel El Roblar
17 Sep | New Orleans, LA, US | Octavia Books – In conversation with Jay Mazza
1 Oct | Bath, UK | Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath
14 Oct | Bewdley, UK | Bewdley Festival
16 Oct | London, UK | Books on the Rise
24-26 Oct | Whitby, UK | Musicport Festival
16 Nov | Glasgow, UK | Aye Write – In conversation with Arusa Qureshi
2 Dec | Gent, Belgium | Ha Concerts
2024
22 Jun | Lowestoft, UK | First Light Festival
9 Aug | Cropredy, UK | Cropredy Festival
17 Aug | Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Wales, UK | Green Man Festival
27 Aug | Shoreham, UK | City Books/Ropetackle Arts Centre
31 Aug | Blandford, Dorset, UK | End of the Road Festival
4 Sep | London, UK | Foyles – Book Launch: In conversation with Brian Eno
8 Sep | Brooklyn, New York City, NY, US | Pioneer Works, Second Sundays
9 Sep | Cambridge, Boston, MA, US | Porter Square Books – In conversation with Yosvany Terry
10 Sep | New York City, NY, US | Villa Albertine – Book Launch: In conversation with David Byrne
14 Sep | Washington DC, US | Politics and Prose at Union Market – In conversation with Bob Boilen
16 Sep | Chicago, MI, US | Old Town School of Folk Music
19 Sep | Murfreesboro, TN, US | University of Middle Tennessee | Joe Boyd Lecture
20 Sep | Nashville, TN, US | Americanafest – In conversation with Buddy Miller
22 Sep | Tulsa, OK, US | Bob Dylan Center
24 Sep | Santa Fe, NM, US | Collected Works
25 Sep | Albuquerque, NM, US | Bookworks
30 Sep | Corte Madera, Marin County, CA, US | Book Passage, Corte Madera Store
30 Sep | Berkeley, CA, US | Mrs. Dalloway’s
3 Oct | Los Angeles, CA, US | Book Soup
6 Oct | Houston, TX, US | Contemporary Arts Museum
8 Oct | San Marcos, TX, US | The Wittliff Collections, Alkek Library, Texas State University – In conversation with Joe Nick Patoski
8 Oct | Austin, TX, US | Waterloo Records
12 Oct | Cardiff, UK | Llais Festival, Wales Millennium Centre/Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru
14 Oct | Manchester, UK | Manchester Literature Festival
15 Oct | Liverpool, UK | Waterstones
25 Oct | Lancaster, UK | Litfest Autumn Weekend
21 Nov | Abergavenny, UK | Conversations at the Chapel, The Art Shop
28 Nov | ONLINE | A Drink with The Idler
REVIEWS
‘Boyd’s book is the Proust of music history – à la recherche of much music lost, here regained and affirmed in our present.’ Observer, Ed Vulliamy
‘Masterly [. . .] deeply scholarly but grippingly readable – and with the best soundtrack in the world.’ Spectator, David Honigmann
‘Sometimes it feels as if the whole world is squeezed into these 900-odd pages [. . .] Epic [. . .] His enthusiasm proves infectious; he is teacher, storyteller and, sometimes, provocateur.’ The Times, Clive Davis
‘[A] brilliant tapestry of sounds from outside the anglophone world [. . .] A holiday reading essential.’ Mojo 5*****, David Hutcheon
‘A dazzling and magisterial history [. . .] I rank it amongst the three best books about music I have ever read [. . .] Boyd has come up with a veritable page-turner that will stimulate, educate, amaze and entertain all at the same time. ‘ Hi-Fi Choice, Nigel Williamson
‘Even the most well-read music buff would still find plenty to captivate them in each section. Take your time and absorb it. The roots of rhythm may remain, and we hope that will always be true.’ Americana UK, Andy Short