“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

“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 

“One only hopes this can be taught in schools.” - Ry Cooder

“Profound . . . and beyond.” - Robert Plant

“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

June 24th, 2024 - Today, ZE Books has announced the September 24 publication of legendary record producer and author Joe Boyd’s new book And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music. Informed by decades of travel, research, interviews, deep listening, and many years spent producing groundbreaking music in Cuba, Brazil, Bulgaria, Mali, Hungary, Spain, India, the UK and beyond, And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain is a riveting tour of the music that shaped how our world sounds.

In this sweeping history, Boyd celebrates the impact of the world’s musical traditions on Western popular culture: tango on the eve of World War I, Latin dance across the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, reggae in the ’70s, pre-War samba, pre-Beatles bossa nova, and beyond. Having spent decades producing and releasing groundbreaking international music through his label Hannibal Records, Boyd shows how personalities, events, and politics in places such as Havana, Lagos, Budapest, Kingston, and Rio are as colorful and momentous as anything that took place in New Orleans, Harlem, Laurel Canyon, or Liverpool. Filled with engaging anecdotes (did you know that Frank Sinatra owed his career to a tango singer from Buenos Aires?) and vivid personalities, And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain is a work of breathtaking scale from a keen observer and gifted raconteur who’s been there and seen it all. 

Known to many as the legendary producer behind notable recordings from Nick Drake, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Toots and the Maytals, Fairport Convention, and many more, as well as the founder of London’s iconic UFO Club, Joe Boyd’s acclaimed memoir White Bicycles: Making Music In The 1960s was praised by the New York Times as “an irresistible tale” and chosen by Elton John as his favorite book about music.

Boyd has also curated a preliminary playlist featuring tracks by artists spotlighted in the book including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Arooj Aftab, Bob Marley, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou, Carmen Miranda, Joao Gilberto, Ali Farka Touré, Ravi Shankar, Fela Kuti, Taj Mahal, Muzsikás, and more. Check it out on Spotify HERE and on Apple Music HERE. A full playlist of music will be made available upon publication. 

This September, Boyd will embark on an extensive book tour in support of the release of And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain, with planned stops in notable bookstores around the country. More details coming soon. 

Pre-order here: https://www.zebooks.com/books/and-the-roots-of-rhythm-remain