The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll: The Mysterious Roots of Modern Music

Sex. Drugs. Loud music. Wild costumes. Dazzling light shows. These words can all describe a great rock concert or a hot dance club, but they were also part and parcel of the ancient cultural phenomenon known as the "Mystery religions." In this book, author Christopher Knowles shows how the long-dead Mystery religions got a secular reincarnation when a new musical form called rock 'n' roll burst onto the scene. Knowles shows how the Mysteries prefigured subcultures as diverse as Santeria, Freemasonry and Mardi Gras, and explains exactly how ancient rituals and music found their way to the New World. In the process, The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll traces the development of rock's most popular genres such as punk and metal, and reveals how many of rock's most iconic artists fill the same archetypal roles as the ancient gods. You'll see how many of the rituals, customs and musical styles of our postmodern society have stunning ancient parallels. You'll meet history's first pop divas, headbangers and guitar heroes and read the untold story of the Puritan Woodstock. Get ready for a wild ride that will take you from the Stone Age to the Space Age.

Christopher Knowles is the author of the Eagle Award-winning Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes (RedWheel Weiser) and the critically-acclaimed Clash City Showdown: The Music, The Meaning and The Legacy of The Clash (PageFree Publications). He's co-author of The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths, and the Movies (Insight Editions), the authorized companion to the long-running TV series.

Christopher was a longtime associate editor and contributing writer for the five-time Eisner Award-winning magazine Comic Book Artist and has contributed feature articles to magazines like Comic Book Marketplace and the popular industry website, Comic Book Resources.

Christopher has also written features, columns and reviews for Classic Rock, one of the top music magazines from the UK. His Jimmy Page cover-story was featured in the best-selling issue in that magazine's history.

Christopher has appeared at the New York Comicon and lectured on pop culture and mythology at the Center for Theory and Research at the legendary Esalen Institute in Big Sur in 2008 and 2009.

Christopher has appeared in the documentaries Wendy O. Williams and The Plasmatics (MVD Visual), Wonder Woman: Daughter of Myth (Warner Bros.) and The Man, the Myth, Superman (Warner Bros. Christopher has appeared on the popular ABC newsmagazine 20/20 as well as numerous podcasts and radio talk shows on NPR, Voice of America and various commercial stations.

Christopher lives in New Jersey with his wife and family.