A rip-snorting rock 'n' roll memoir from the legendary disc jockey who's been called "the missing link to the Sixties." There was a small sliver of time between Bebop and Hip-Hop, when a new generation of teenagers created rock 'n' roll. Clay Cole was one of those teenagers, as the host of his own Saturday night pop music television show. Sh-Boom! is the pop culture chronicle of that exciting time, 1953 to 1968, when teenagers created their own music, from swing bands and pop to rhythm and blues, cover records, a cappella, rockabilly, folk-rock, and girl groups; from the British Invasion to the creation of the American Boy Band. He was the first to introduce Chubby Checker performing "The Twist"; the first to present the Rolling Stones, Tony Orlando, Dionne Warwick, Neil Diamond, Bobby Vinton, the Rascals, the Ronettes, the Four Seasons, Dion, and dozens more; the first to introduce music video clips, discotheque, go-go girls and young unknown standup comedians Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Fannie Flagg to a teenage television audience. But after fifteen years of fame, Clay walked away from his highly popular Saturday night show at the age of thirty-and remained out of the spotlight for over forty years. Well, he's missing no longer; he's back with a remarkable story to tell. Brimming with the gossip, scandal and heartbreak of the upstart billion-dollar music biz, Sh-Boom! is a breezy, behind-the-scenes look at "live" television, mom-and-pop record companies, and a boozy, Mafia-run Manhattan during the early days of rock 'n' roll.
