When I first started putting this book together I was intending to write a brief introduction to the collection of photographs that I had compiled, but when I came to refer to the music I realised a lot of people, who may be interested in the book, wouldn't know what words like soul or jazz funk really meant. For this reason I thought I would explain the music and its origin, when, where, why and how it evolved. I have tried to write it in a manner that would be easily understood by readers who knew nothing about the subject whilst including information that may be of interest to those that do. In this format the book can appeal to anyone.
To keep the history of the music as brief as possible I have had to categorize and generalise much more than I would have liked. Music styles evolve and merge, they don't happen overnight. What I have done is merely outline the important periods during the evolution of Afro-American music, in a chronological order, to give you an idea of the background of the music that has become the lifeblood of the type of people portrayed in this book.
If you feel you know it all or it bores you then skip past it, look through the photographs and soak up the atmosphere. You may find however, at a later date that the history of the music may be of interest to you.
I sincerely hope that you enjoy the book and I'm sure that, if you're part of the 'Family,' you'll be able to look through these pages in years to come and still feel as pleased, as I know I will, to be able to say . . . 'I WAS THERE!'
CHRIS BROWN