Ready for a Brand New Beat: How “Dancing in the Street” became an anthem for a changing America.

In 1964, Marving Gaye, record producer Wiliam “Mickey” Stevenson, and Motown song writer Ivy Jo Hunter wrote “Dancing In The Street.”  Recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. Studio by Martha and the Vandellas, the song was supposed to be upbeat party music.  But in a volatile summer the words could mean many things. The summer of 1964 was the in edition to the summer the Beatles came, the zenith of the Civil Rights movement with the Mississippi Freedom Summer, the summer of Black Power, the summer the Vietnam War began, the summer that a presidential election permanently reconfigured American politics, and the first Black urban summer uprising that would begin to mark every summer. “Summer’s here and the time is right.” The song took on many meanings and has lived on. This is the story of the relationship between R & B music and the struggle for African American rights and the story of the importance of an enduring dance song.

Where to Buy

(Please support your local independent book store!)

Other Editions

Ready for a Brand New Beat: How “Dancing in the Street” became an anthem for a changing America.

Audiobook
Riverhead, 2012

• Barnes & Noble
• Amazon

Ready for a Brand New Beat: How “Dancing in the Street” became an anthem for a changing America.

Kindle Edition
Riverhead, 2013

• Amazon