Countdown Of The Century

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About The Book:

American Top 40, the radio program co-founded in the 1960s by host Casey Kasem and producer Don Bustany, developed a winning formula of countdown and commentary that has influenced all the "top ten" hits shows since. Now, for the first time, the true behind-the-scenes story of the show's development and growth into the most popular radio show in the country is told through the people who made it happen.

The author traces the development of top-40 radio to Your Hit Parade and other early radio shows. He then shows how Kasem cleverly blended trivia, little-known facts, and compelling stories to give his listeners the "stories behind the songs" that they loved the most. Kasem's unique personality and presentation helped transform the way radio was programmed across the country -- and had a huge impact on how hits were made and who became pop stars.

Pop radio began as a place where unique voices could share their musical enthusiasms, unhindered by big money or corporate influence. Yet, the very success of this hand-built business inspired more sinister developments. Corporate America saw a way to reach a new, and affluent, audience -- teenagers -- by sponsoring hit shows like American Top 40. And American Top 40 could make or break careers -- giving it enormous influence to establish stars. Kasem used this power judiciously, but others behind the scenes had their own agendas -- and as American Top 40 grew, these forces became more difficult to withstand.

Based on nearly 100 interviews with Kasem, his producers and staff, and others associated with the program, this book provides a complete history of the highly successful countdown radio program, from its beginnings in the 1960s through years of success and then its decline, disappearance -- and remarkable rebirth. American Top 40 offers compelling portraits of Kasem and Bustany, its later host Shadoe Stevens, their colleagues behind the scenes, guest hosts including Hall & Oates and Donny Osmond, and the corporations that (for better or worse) steered its course.

For anyone interested in the history of popular music in America or radio, and those who want to know how the music business really works, American Top 40 lifts the curtains and reveals the real world of music, money, and success.