from the forthcoming novel Nashville Chrome by Rick Bass

The mid-1950s in popular music resembled the Wild West. New sounds, new styles, and new business models collided with a teenage audience that had unprecedented buying power. As those forces converged, popular music entered about a half-decade of uncharted territory where shady businessmen exploited ambitious but naïve musicians while the throbbing pulse of rock ’n’ roll destabilized the traditions of both pop and country music.