Joe Boyd’s And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music Out Today (ZE Books)

“The Proust of music history – [Boyd’s book is] à la recherche of much music lost, here regained and affirmed in our present.”  - The Guardian

“The ‘War and Peace’ of world music.” - MOJO Magazine (5/5 stars)

“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

September 24 - Today, ZE Books and Joe Boyd celebrate the US publication of 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 around the globe, And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain is a staggering literary achievement and a vivid celebration 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. A gifted raconteur, Boyd’s informative yet conversational prose illuminates engaging anecdotes (did you know George Harrison fell in love with Indian music in Zsa Zsa Gabor’s bathtub?) and the vivid personalities who’ve shaped musical narratives around the globe. 

And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music has been celebrated by top publications as well as legendary artists, and has led to in-depth profiles and interviews with Boyd, including the Washington Post. Boyd also shared a special excerpt from the book with Vanity Fair in advance of publication, that details the tremendous influence that Jamaican DJs from the 1950s had on music across the globe. Additional pieces include Aquarium Drunkard, PRX’s Echoes, Relix and forthcoming pieces with PBS Newshour, The World and more. 

Boyd is currently on an extensive tour of venues, bookstores, record stores, and universities. Upcoming events include Book Passage in San Francisco (in conversation with Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads/Modern Lovers), Book Soup in Los Angeles, the Center For Texas Music History in San Marcos (in conversation with writer Joe Nick Patoski), Waterloo Records in Austin, and the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston. Earlier this month, Boyd celebrated the UK release of And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain in conversation with Brian Eno at Foyle’s in London, with David Byrne in NYC at Villa Albertine and with Buddy Miller at Americanafest in Nashville. See below for the full itinerary. 

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. 



Additional praise for And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain:

“A marvelous adventure” - Kirkus Reviews 

“A tour de force that will fascinate music lovers” - Library Journal

“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 

“[A] brilliant tapestry of sounds from outside the anglophone world”

- MOJO Magazine (5/5 stars)

“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

“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

Remaining US Tour Dates:

September 24 - Santa Fe, NM - Collected Works (https://www.collectedworksbookstore.com/events-1/joe-boyd-and-the-roots-of-rhythm-remain)

September 25 - Albuquerque, NM - Bookworks (https://www.bkwrks.com/event/joe-boyd-and-roots-rhythm-remain)

September 30 - San Francisco, CA - Book Passage, Corte Madera Store (in conversation with Jerry Harrison) (https://www.bookpassage.com/event/joe-boyd-and-roots-rhythm-remain-corte-madera-store)

September 30 - Berkeley, CA - Mrs. Dalloway’s (https://www.mrsdalloways.com/events/record-producer-joe-boyd-his-new-book-and-roots-rhythm-remain)

October 3 - Los Angeles, CA - Book Soup (https://www.booksoup.com/event/joe-boyd)

October 6 - Houston, TX - Contemporary Arts Museum (https://camh.org/)

October 8 - San Marcos, TX - Center for Texas Music History, Texas State University (in conversation with Joe Nick Patoski) (https://www.txst.edu/ctmh/news-events.html)

October 8 - Austin, TX - Waterloo Records (https://waterloorecords.com/CustomPage/13511)