Music Everywhere : The Rock and Roll Roots of a Southern Town

Many American college towns have their own story to tell when it comes to their rock and roll roots, but Gainesville’s story is unique: dozens of resident musicians launched into national prominence. Marty Jourard looks at Gainesville through the mid-1960s and 1970s, delving into stories of the musicians and promoters that helped foster innovative, professional music in a small north Florida town.

When the Beatles launched into fame in 1963, they inspired a generation to pick up an instrument and start a band. Rock and roll took the world by storm, but one small town in particular seemed to pump out prominent musicians and popular bands at factory pace.

Many American college towns have their own story to tell when it comes to their rock and roll roots, but Gainesville’s story is unique: dozens of resident musicians launched into national prominence, eight inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a steady stream of major acts rolling through on a regular basis. Marty Jourard—himself a member of the chart-topping Motels—looks at Gainesville through the mid-1960s and 1970s, delving into individual stories of the musicians, businesses, and promoters that helped foster innovative, professional music in a small north Florida town. From Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to Stephen Stills and the Eagles’ Don Felder and Bernie Leadon, Gainesville cultivated some of the most celebrated musicians and songwriters of the time.

Music Everywhere brings to light a key chapter in the history of American rock and roll—a time when music was a way of life and bands popped up by the dozen, some falling by the wayside, but others indelibly changing the face of rock and roll. Here is the story of the people, the town, and a culture that nurtured a wellspring of talent.