For the music to reach a wide audience, there had to be the technology, the personalities, the record labels and recording studios, the songwriters that made that possible as well as an introduction to the genres. This page features this behind-the-scenes support.
What's That Sound?: What's that sound? : an introduction to rock and its history by 
The Musical Language of Rock by 
The Foundations of Rock: from Blue suede shoes to Suite : Judy blue eyes by 
The Last Sultan: the life and times of Ahmet Ertegun by 
The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music by 
Sam Phillips: the Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll by Source: allmusic.com
Source: Allmusic.com
Source: udiscovermusic.com & Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios by Coogan, Clark & Jones.
Public domain image.
During the forties, fifties and early sixties, most records were not bought, but heard on the radio and played on jukeboxes. The jukes were located in soda shops, diners, restaurants, bars and any place where people, especially teenagers, were likely to gather. They were loaded with 45 rpm singles. To play, the listener dropped in a coin into the box, then picked a letter and number. It was a great way to share the music you loved.
Image source: Mister rf, (Creative Commons Share Alike License).
During the late fifties and sixties, transistor radios became a source of music for teenagers. Because of its portability, it could be used just about anywhere.
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Source: Joe Haupt (Creative commons Share Alike Licencse)
These small players were popular in the early 1960s. They were used by teenagers for personal listening of 45 rpms.
Radio and Television DJ's were important for the rise of the popularity of rock & roll and soul. Some achieved a fame rivaling that of the artists they played on air. Here are a few of the most important.
American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the making of a rock 'n' roll empire by 
Turn up the Radio! rock, pop, and roll in Los Angeles 1956-1972 by Source: Radio Hall of Fame
Little Labels--Big Sound: small record companies and the rise of American music by | A&M Atlantic Apple CBS |
Capitol |
EMI |
Source: Great Record Labels by A. Cimino.
You've Heard These Hands: from the Wall of Sound to the Wrecking Crew and other incredible stories by 
Tearing down the Wall of Sound: the rise and fall of Phil Spector by 
Anatomy of a Song: the oral history of 45 iconic hits that changed rock, R&B and pop by 
I got thunder : Black women songwriters on their craft by 
Tunesmith : inside the art of songwriting by What's a musician without a songwriter? The first 25 years (1950 - 1975) produced some great songwriters. And like music itself, songwriting didn't discriminate on the basis of skin color, gender or where you were from. Some of our finest songwriters were women: Joni Mitchell, Carol King and Elle Greenwich. Look at the work produced by African-Americans: Big Mama Thornton, Stevie Wonder, Chuck Berry and Smokey Robinson. Jamaican Bob Marley, Belgiin Jacques Brel, and Antonio Carlos-Jobim have had a profound influence on American songwriting.
Source: Songwriters Hall of Fame, allmusic.com and Udiscovermusic.com
America on Record: a history of recorded sound by 
Vinyl: The Art of Making Records by 
The Last Seat in the House: the story of Hanley Sound by Cimino, A. (1992). Great record labels. Secaucus, NJ: Chartwell Books.
Cogan, J., Clark, W. & Jones, Q. (2003). Temples of sound: Inside the great recording studios. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle.
DK. (2015). Music: the definitive visual history. New York.
Jackson, J. A. (1999). American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the making of a rock 'n' roll empire. New York: Oxford University Press.
