The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll

The Birth of Loud is an entertaining book full of vivid scenes that feature some of the biggest musicians of the 20th century. But what ultimately stole the show for me didn't take place on stage -- it happened quietly in the homes, garages, and factories of Les Paul and Leo Fender.Port takes us right into the rooms as these people quite literally invent the future of music by testing, innovating, and occasionally stealing what becomes the electric guitar. The early friendship and rivalry of Fender and Paul is the heart of this book, and it's fascinating to see how their stories intersect over the years, and how their legacies live on many decades later.

This is a great read, even if you don't play guitar or bass. It is a well-researched book that traces the history of the electric guitar and primarily focuses on its two greatest rivals: Gibson and Fender. In addition to being entertaining, there are some good business lessons to be learned.

Guitar porn! Also an extremely excellent and interesting rendition on the history of music, it’s instruments and performers, as well as it’s cultural influences and nuances. I have received a novice’s education in one reading: a logistically pleasant introduction providing a rudimentary understanding of both the vast power of music in our time and the delicious intrigue of it’s evolution. I am no longer lost in time; I feel grounded in my own country’s history as told by the changing of it’s musical guards. Les Paul and Leo Fender seem to me now like beloved uncles, their lives so intimately described. This tailored temporal accounting of the musical greats we all know and love—their foibles, triumphs, & legacies—is immersive and captivating; grateful am I to have stumbled upon it! I recommend The Birth of Loud as a must-read to anyone interested in their own musical ancestry, as it spans that of us all. Thanks to Mr. Port for his unwavering diligence in completing such an ambitious and inspired endeavor-your work has fulfilled a shameful dearth in my repertoire of popular knowledge, and I will always be grateful! :)

I'm not surprised that there may not be one definitive inventor of the solid body electric guitar. I am surprised that some of these men were acquaintances, if not friends. An earlier book (Play it Loud from 2016) covers the birth of the electric guitar in a more general way. Quite a few other men played a role in the development of the solid body, but the best known to the general public are Paul and Fender. The story of those two inventors is the focus of The Birth of Loud. Some of the information in this book is not news to me, but there are plenty of surprises. I don't think you have to be a guitarist or musician to enjoy this book, but it doesn't hurt...Full disclosure--I no longer own the guitar pictured, but I now have two Stratocasters...The only thing I didn't like about this book is the dearth of photographs, but I recommend it, it's a fascinating story,,,

I grew up 10 minutes from Fender in Fullerton. Love Leo. The book reads like history. Not entirely favorable to Les Paul but I try not to judge. I'd love this writer to produce an in-depth book on Leo Fender's amp building philosophy. Thanks for writing it!

I couldn't stop reading... I kept wondering what would happen next. I regard the Stratocaster as much a work of design art as a musical instrument... almost in the same way as the Strad violin is a beautiful work of art as well as an instrument. I enjoy just looking at the Strat and taking in the lines. Also the Tele, but the Tele is more of functional design, but really also an art form that I've gotten to really love over time. Of course, the Strat borrows from Paul Bigsby, whose designs were also landmarks, as were all the wonderful instruments of the Gibson line. If you also love these instruments, you will learn all about Leo, Les and the rest. I passed the book on after reading, to a lead guitar player from a Mn 50s/60s band.

As someone newly interested in playing the guitar, I was looking for some history, and this book more than filled the bill. Very well written account of several lives that intertwined over decades. Fascinating detail and an engrossing read!

Read it,and was amazed by the author's knowledge and research on these individuals,and the evolvement of the guitar and it's effect on modern music.

The real history of guitar and the people who made it a cultural icon is presented is this book with such a “novel”way of writing.

E' un libro molto ben scritto, avvincente ed esaustivo sulla storia della chitarra elettrica e di come si sono intrecciati i destini e l'operato dei protagonisti. Imperdibile.

As a guitar player with a keen interest in the myriad roles the electric guitar plays in modern music this book filled in the history, the rivalry and the personalities behind the development of the electric guitar, namely the Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster and Precision Bass alongside the Gibson Les Paul. It introduces the importance of Paul Bigsby (he of the original tremolo arm aka the whammy bar) a keen motorcyclist.If you love guitars this book is for you!

Very well researched and interesting read that charts the roots and evolution of the electric guitar, and in particular the rivalry that existed from the 1950s between the Fender and Gibson guitar brands. It’s a very reader-friendly book, with each chapter length making it the perfect book to read at bedtime, and also each chapter delivering some great ‘nuggets’ of inside knowledge about both the instruments and the artists of the time. I learnt a lot, and for me this was genuinely a book that I kept picking up to read at every opportunity. Highly recommended!