Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit

The drum kit has provided the rhythmic backbone of popular music from the pre-jazz era right up to today's pop charts. Kick It, a thought-provoking social history of the instrument, closely examines key innovators in the drum kit's evolution. This includes inventors and manufacturers like the influential Ludwig and Zildjian families, jazz icons such as Gene Krupa and Max Roach, rock stars ranging from Ringo Starr to Keith Moon, and popular artists who haven't always received due credit for their drumming prowess, such as Karen Carpenter and J Dilla.

Addressing the complex history of race relations, global migration patterns, and the shifting dynamic between high and low culture, author Matt Brennan argues persuasively for the drum kit's significance as one of the most transformative musical inventions of the modern age. Kick It demonstrates how the drum kit and the drummers who wield it have fundamentally altered modern music – and society as a whole – from the ground up. This book offers a fresh and insightful perspective on a seemingly ubiquitous instrument and its profound cultural impact.