Let It Roll
Nate WIlcox
- 39 minutes 21 secondsThe Beatles Invade & The Rolling Stones Follow: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox kick off their discussion of Ed's book "The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock" with a look at The Beatles' conquest of America, the other British bands that followed in their wake and the American response headed up by Motown and James Brown.
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19 December 2025, 6:00 pm - 36 minutes 48 secondsBob Wills & Western Swing: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Ed Ward and host Nate Wilcox fill in a gap in our discussion of his epic History of Rock & Roll Part 1, 1920-1963, with a look at Bob Wills and Western Swing. We pick up the history of country music where we left off after the Carter Family & Jimmie Rodgers episode and carry on to the 1930s emergence of a distinctive genre in Texas: Western Swing and the man, Bob Wills, who led it to the top of the pop charts, packed dance halls, TV, and movies.
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17 December 2025, 6:00 pm - 42 minutes 54 secondsRhythm & Blues from Bessie Smith to Louis Jordan: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Ed Ward and host Nate Wilcox fill in a gap in our discussion of his epic History of Rock & Roll Part 1, 1920-1963 with a look at how African-American pop music transformed itself thru the swing era, the rise & fall of the blues queens, the thin line between jazz and blues, the first guitar heroes and the greatest American musical superstar you’ve probably barely heard of, Louis Jordan.
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15 December 2025, 6:00 pm - 38 minutes 44 secondsJimmie Rodgers & The Carter Family: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Ed Ward and host Nate Wilcox fill in a gap in our discussion of his epic History of Rock & Roll Part 1, 1920-1963 by discussing the foundation of commercial country music and its first superstars, Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.
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12 December 2025, 6:00 pm - 45 minutes 24 secondsRock Pre-History the 1920s & 30s: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
This episode is a prequel to recent episodes that covers the period from 1920 to 1945. It’s a fun one as Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox talk rock and roll’s prehistory in the era of Victrolas, live radio, and swing bands. We talk about the first hit blues record, the first superstars of country music, and much more.
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10 December 2025, 6:00 pm - 44 minutes 10 seconds1963 The British Invasion is Coming!: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Nate Wilcox and Ed Ward conclude their discussion of Ed's "History of Rock & Roll 1920-1963 " with part two of 1963.
We'll hear about about the Lebanese Restaurant that birthed surf music and saved Fender guitars, how Murray Wilson’s failed musical career laid the groundwork for his sons’ amazing success, how Columbia buried Bob Dylan’s first attempt to go rock, and the split between kids singing “My Boyfriend’s Back” and those singing “Blowing in the Wind.” We talk about Stevie Wonder’s first hit and why you can hear someone shouting “what key? What key?” in the background, the mystery of Smokey Robinson’s failure to get a hit with the Supremes and we finally get to England and talk about the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and the revolution they triggered and would bring to America in 1964.
GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE -- The final 15 minutes of this episode are exclusively for paying subscribers to the Let It Roll Substack.
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8 December 2025, 5:00 pm - 32 minutes 22 seconds1963 Brill Building pop is perfected: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Nate Wilcox and Ed Ward continue their discussion of Ed's "History of Rock & Roll 1920-1963 " with the first of two shows discussing 1963. This week we’ll be talking about how Berry Gordy perfected his Motown assembly line, Phil Spector and the wrecking crew, Roy Orbison’s operatic dramas, Patsy Cline’s final year, and how James Brown finally seized control of his career and became the Godfather of Soul.
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5 December 2025, 6:00 pm - 54 minutes 1 second1961-1962 The Quiet Years: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Nate Wilcox and Ed Ward continue their discussion of Ed's "History of Rock & Roll 1920-1963 " with a look at 1961 and 1962, years that are often written off as “the dark ages” of the first rock and roll era. But, as Ed Ward points out, “any time you’re a teenager is the best time for rock and roll!”
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3 December 2025, 6:00 pm - 59 minutes 36 seconds1960 The Fire of Rebellion Has Been Snuffed: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Nate Wilcox and Ed Ward continue their discussion of Ed's "History of Rock & Roll 1920-1963 " with a look at 1960, a year when the American corporate brass thought they had tamed the rock and roll rebels of the 1950s.
GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE -- The final 15 minutes of this episode are exclusively for paying subscribers to the Let It Roll Substack.
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1 December 2025, 6:00 pm - 57 minutes 25 seconds1959 Death and Soul: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Nate Wilcox and Ed Ward continue their discussion of Ed's "History of Rock & Roll 1920-1963 " with a look at 1959, a year that started with tragedy for rock n’ roll and went on to see the first flowerings of soul music and the Brill Building pop that would dominate the early 60s.
It was also the year that the music business figured out how to package pretty faces with rocking beats and foisted Fabian and Frankie Avalon on the world. We’ll also be hearing a lot about “the wild anarchic spirit” that Sam Phillips and Elvis had unleashed, the reinvention of Johnny Cash, the Million Dollar Quartet, the mini-dramas Lieber & Stoller made with the Coasters, the dance craze called the stroll, and much more.
GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE -- The final 15 minutes of this episode are exclusively for paying subscribers to the Let It Roll Substack.
Also subscribe to the LET IT ROLL EXTRA feed on Apple, Spotify or your preferred podcast service to access the full episodes via your preferred podcast outlet. We've got all 350+ episodes listed, organized by mini-series, genre, era, co-host, guest and more.
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28 November 2025, 6:00 pm - 50 minutes 52 seconds1958 The Year the Music Didn't Quite Die: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll
Nate Wilcox and Ed Ward continue their discussion of Ed's "History of Rock & Roll 1920-1963 " with a look at 1958, the backlash year. This was the year that Elvis got drafted and Jerry Lee Lewis ruined his career with a bigamous marriage to his 13-year-old cousin.
It was also the year that the music business figured out how to package pretty faces with rocking beats and foisted Fabian and Frankie Avalon on the world. We’ll also be hearing a lot about “the wild anarchic spirit” that Sam Phillips and Elvis had unleashed, the reinvention of Johnny Cash, the Million Dollar Quartet, the mini-dramas Lieber & Stoller made with the Coasters, the dance craze called the stroll and much more.
GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE -- The final 15 minutes of this episode are exclusively for paying subscribers to the Let It Roll Substack.
Also subscribe to the LET IT ROLL EXTRA feed on Apple, Spotify or your preferred podcast service to access the full episodes via your preferred podcast outlet. We've got all 350+ episodes listed, organized by mini-series, genre, era, co-host, guest and more.
Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to support the show. Thanks!
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