Psychedelic Music in San Francisco: Style, Context, and Evolution

This investigation into the psychedelic music of San Francisco outlines its musical and cultural context and identifies key characteristics. The origins, development, decline, and revival of this vibrant and innovative form of rock, which emerged in the mid-1960s, are traced through an original model of musical style evolution. Part of the research involved interviews with members of bands such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Country Joe and the Fish, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moby Grape, and It’s A Beautiful Day. This is a book edition of a Ph.D. thesis for an interdisciplinary program in humanities. The approach blends music, history, and communication studies. Craig Morrison is a musician (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and is also the author of Go Cat Go! Rockabilly Music and Its Makers (published by the University of Illinois Press) and American Popular Music: Rock and Roll (published by Facts on File).