Rock's Backpages

Welcome to the world's largest archive of music journalism, featuring over 50,000 articles on artists from Aaliyah to ZZ Top, with a new edition every Friday. Enter the library...

Free this week

Featured artist

Nearer to her: John Abbey interviews Bettye LaVette about her first decade in music (Blues & Soul, 1972) and Steven R. Rosen talks to the raw-throated singer about her second wind on Anti- Records (Cincinnati CityBeat, 2011). Plus Lloyd Bradley loves LaVette's Thankful n' Thoughful album 2012…

Featured writer

One writer under a groove: Lloyd Bradley interviews George "Dr. Funkenstein" Clinton (right) in late 1982 and meets Brit-funksters Beggar & Co. in 1981 and reggae rockers Aswad in 1982. Plus – in an excerpt from his decade-old classic Sounds like London – recounts the rise of grime in the capital.

The Long Goodbye

That lovin' feelin': Louise Criscione interviews Brill Building hit songwriters Cynthia Weil (1940-2023) and Barry Mann (KRLA Beat, 1965) and BAM's Mark Leviton looks back with the married duo in their adopted Beverly Hills in 1983. Plus Phonograph Record's Mitchell Cohen reports on Cynthia's unlikely 1976 collaboration with hard-rockin' Rick Derringer...

The Long Read

Ducking and diving: Paul Rambali hears about the brilliant Duck Rock album in an "epic trek" across the myth of Malcolm McLaren (The Face, June 1983).

New for subscribers

Audio interview

Open up the gate: Frank Broughton asks Blood and Fire's Steve Barrow about deejays, dub plates, Duke Reid, Coxsone Dodd... and the history of Jamaican music (1998).

Articles

Subscribe to enjoy access to thousands of articles and hundreds of audio interviews.

For university and other group subscriptions, click here.

The RBP Podcast

Episode 152

Latest episode: former Gay Dad frontman Cliff Jones talks about his journey from journalism to rockademia. Plus we discuss Cliff's namesake Brian and hear clips from Tony Scherman's 1993 audio interview with Paul Simon.

Explore the library

Subjects & genres

Search the library for subjects including:

and genres including:

See the complete index for many more subjects and genres.

Audio interviews

Rock’s Backpages contains over 800 audio interviews with artists from Jimi Hendrix to Kate Bush. Visit the audio interviews page to see the full list.

Cover of the week

click image to enlarge

The Rock's Backpages Magazine Archive contains thousands of original copies of music magazines from the 1960s to the present day.

Order scans and photocopies

Content licensing

RBP text and audio

Looking to license audio interviews or text articles from the RBP archive? Our content has been used by Parlophone, Spotify, Sony Music, the BBC and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. For more information, visit our licensing page.