"Some freewheeling paperbacks manage to capture the fun of it all. In their evolutionary theory What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record?, authors Jim Dawson and Steve Propes trace rock's roots from 1944's 'Blues, Part 2,' by Jazz at the Philharmonic, which featured the primordial guitar of Les Paul, to Elvis Presley's 1956 hit, 'Heartbreak Hotel.'"--Rolling Stone, December 10-24, 1992

"The book is in essence a series of snapshots about the slow invention of the musical form that would, it is fair to say, change the world."--Jon Carroll, San Francisco Chronicle, September 20, 1995

"[A] richly entertaining study."--Clive Davis, The Sunday Times, London, February 25, 1996

"The quest for a 'first' rock 'n' roll record will either strike one as de facto pointless or titillate the trainspotter that lurks somewhere deep in most of us. Whatever your perspective, What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? remains one of the most impressive reads of the year."--Barney Hoskyns, Mojo Magazine, December 1993

"Dawson's and Propes's research is so skilled and deep that they have discovered a vast assortment of particular musical or lyrical motifs in earlier songs that later appeared in more rock 'n' rolling songs....Like no other book, What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? shows the parentage of rock 'n' roll."--Robert Pruter, Goldmine, May 28, 1993

"[T]racing the evolution of jazz, rhythm 'n' blues, blues, country and pop as they converge toward rock is almost like reading a good detective novel."--Option, Jan/Feb 1993

"[The records'] attendant stories often offer fascinating insights into the roots of not only rock, but the modern record business."--Richard Harrington, Washington Post, May 5, 1993

"In a scholarly, but relaxed and readable style, the authors explore each track, dodging only their title question. The first rock 'n' roll record, they argue, in effect, is 'all of the above.'"--David Hinckley, New York Daily News, August 15, 1993