Crawdaddy!

Crawdaddy! was the first US magazine of rock music criticism. It was started in New York City in 1966 by Paul Williams, who has also written over 25 books.

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Preceding both Rolling Stone and Creem, Crawdaddy! is regarded as the U.S. pioneer of rock journalism, and was the training ground for many rock writers then just finding the language to describe rock and roll music, which was only then beginning to be written about as seriously as folk and jazz. The zine spawned the career of numerous rock music critics. Early contributing writers included Jon Landau, Sandy Pearlman, and Richard Meltzer. Williams left the magazine in 1968. Crawdaddy! briefly suspended publication in 1969, but returned, with its title unpunctuated, in 1970 with national mass market distribution, first as a newsprint tabloid (like Rolling Stone), then as a standard-sized magazine. It continued through the decade, featuring a mutable roster of columnists including at times William S. Burroughs, Paul Krassner, David G. Hartwell, Debra Rae Cohen, and sometimes even Paul Williams himself. Its focus expanded to cover more general aspects of popular culture, particularly movies, but its sales slumped and, after changing its title to Feature for three issues at the beginning of 1979, it was shut down.

Related Topics:
Rolling Stone - Creem - Rock and roll - Folk - Jazz - Zine - Rock music critics - Jon Landau - Sandy Pearlman - Richard Meltzer - William S. Burroughs - Paul Krassner - David G. Hartwell - Debra Rae Cohen

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Paul Williams reclaimed the title in 1993, publishing 28 issues until financial pressures forced him to end its run in 2003.

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Paul Williams was a science fiction fan with an interest in rock music who at the age of 17 started mimeographing and distributing a collection of criticisms (at first mostly his own) about rock and roll music and musicians. Crawdaddy! quickly moved from its fanzine roots to become one of the first rock music "prozines", with newsstand distribution. Under Williams, Crawdaddy! magazine did not take advertisements.

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:You are looking at the first issue of a magazine of rock and roll criticism. Crawdaddy! will feature neither pin-ups nor news-briefs; the specialty of this magazine is intelligent writing about pop music.... -- No. 1, February 7, 1966

Related Topics:
February 7 - 1966

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