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"A fascinating look into how Judaism has shaped and influenced the makers of rock music over the past 50 years..."—Lifestyles
A fascinating look into how Judaism has shaped and influenced the makers of rock music over the past fifty years.
What Grammy-award winning band’s Jewish members recite kiddush before their Friday night concerts? What member of a world-famous band blows the shofar at his synagogue on the High Holy Days? What famous rock musician packed his menorah as well as his drum set when preparing to go on world-wide concert tours? How did Judaism’s historic affinity with music—the Torah was meant to be sung—translate into some of the best-loved rock ‘n’ roll songs of the past century?
Inspired by a backstage conversation with David Lee Roth during which the rock star revealed that he first learned to sing preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, Scott R. Benarde spent five years combining his love of Judaism, journalism, and rock 'n' roll investigating the Jewish contribution to rock music from 1953 to the present. Noting that outside of the Christian rock genre the media had rarely (with the exception of Bob Dylan) dealt with a rock star’s religion or spirituality, Benarde was determined to find out how Judaism influenced rock music and the people who created it. Jews kvell when they discover that someone famous or accomplished in any field is a member of the tribe, but wouldn’t it really be something if these celebrities cared about being Jewish?
Focusing on these musicians, singers, and songwriters, Stars of David offers a highly readable collection of short vignettes that demonstrate the rich strand of Jewish belief and sentiment that underscores the work of many of the best-known rock stars of our time. Among those discussed or interviewed are the legendary songwriting teams of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, performers such as Bob Dylan, Melissa Manchester, Janis Ian, Randy Newman, Billy Joel, Kinky Friedman (of the Texas Jewboys), and David Lee Roth, and members of groups such as the Tokens, Jay and the Americans, Country Joe and the Fish, Yes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bon Jovi, Phish, the Wallflowers and many others.
Benarde reveals how Judaism has played a greater role in rock music than we realize and discovers that many Jewish rockers are more in tune with their Judaism than we would have imagined. Based largely on one-on-one interviews with the artists, the result is a surprisingly personal and introspective consideration of faith, art, and the relationship between pop culture and spirituality. Also revealed is the sheer variety of the Jewish experience in rock ‘n’ roll: from the deeply religious childhood of some to the late-in-life religious reawakening of others; from the explicit use of scripture in song to the subtle yet resonant religious motifs that influence this most secular genre of music. With entertaining anecdotes and personal revelations enhanced by more than seventy photographs, Stars of David is not so much about how Jewish these artists are but ultimately, how they are Jewish, and how their Jewishness has affected rock ‘n’ roll.
"Benarde seeks to document the significant contributions Jews have made to rock music as performers, producers, and songwriters. Following a brief introduction, he sketches brief, highly readable vignettes of the lives and careers of some 50 Jewish rock artists."—Jewish Book World
"I found Stars of David to be consistently fascinating."—Palm Beach Post
"Books such as Stars of David continue to illuminate Jewish contributions to the pop culture."—The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
From the Book:
"[The book’s title] went through several permutations before resolving itself to define and fit the material as the book took shape. All the people in this book are "Stars of David," musical descendants of King David, who I view as arguably the world’s first (Jewish) rock star. Before becoming a king, he was an accomplished harpist and songwriter, with a voice so soothing he was known as "the sweet singer of Israel." He also was known to enjoy a good many, shall we say, groupies. (Nothing, it appears, is new.)"
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SCOTT R. BENARDE, who has an M.A. from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, is the former rock music columnist for the Palm Beach Post and the South Florida Sun Sentinel. As a freelance journalist, Benarde has been published in Rolling Stone, Musician, Billboard, Variety, and a host of Jewish publications. He lives with his wife and two children in Delray Beach, Florida.
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