WHEN THE CITY BURNED

Otis, Johnny (1921–2012)

Listen to the Lambs [1960s Racial Injustice - Jazz Memoir]

New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1968. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover with Dust Jacket.

A MUSICIAN'S WITNESS TO A NATION IN CRISIS.
A compelling and urgent blend of memoir and racial manifesto written in the immediate aftermath of the 1965 Watts Riots. Johnny Otis, the 'Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,' delivers a searing account of systemic oppression from his unique vantage point as a man of Greek heritage who chose to live his life as a member of the Black community.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Content: A primary source reflection on the Watts Riots, blending music history with civil rights activism and social commentary. 
+++ Binding: Half mustard-colored cloth over black boards with maroon title and red border line. Jacket design attributed to Donald and Ann Crews.
+++ Visuals: Features the original jacket design by Donald and Ann Crews. 
+++ Imprint: Stated First Edition on copyright page; W. W. Norton & Company. 
+++ Specs: 8.5 inches tall / 256 pages.
+++ Condition: Near Fine in a Very Good dust jacket. 
+++ Rarity: Uncommon in the first printing; increasingly scarce in well-preserved jackets due to the topical nature of the 1960s civil rights subject matter.

CONDITION: Near Fine -- Very Good. Minimal shelf handling with tight, square bindings. Text is clean and bright without markings. The dust jacket retains the original $4.95 price; it is evenly toned with minor wear at the spine tips and corners.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE — FROM RHYTHM AND BLUES TO BLACK POWER.
 Johnny Otis was a polymath of American music—a bandleader, talent scout, and songwriter who discovered Etta James and Big Mama Thornton. Despite his Greek ancestry, Otis identified culturally and socially as Black, famously stating, 'As a kid I decided that if I’m going to be any kind of a human being, I’m going to be a Black one.' This memoir is not merely a collection of jazz anecdotes but a profound philosophical exploration of the 'color line' in America, written while the smoke was still clearing from the Los Angeles uprisings.

The 1968 edition is a critical artifact of the Black Power era, documenting the transition from the integrationist hopes of the early 1960s to the militant disillusionment following the Watts Riots. It serves as an essential cross-disciplinary text, bridging the worlds of West Coast Jazz and R&B with the political landscape of the Civil Rights Movement.

SUBJECTS: African American Experience, Racial Injustice, 1960s America, Watts Riots, Social Activism, Music History, Civil Rights, Jazz, Los Angeles History. Memoir, Music History, Social History, Civil Rights Literature

Item #20604

Price: $225.00