Ian S. Port & The Birth of Loud

Join us for a rip-roaring journey through the early days of rock n’ roll told through the lives of the men whose innovative guitars helped usher it into existence.

Author and former San Francisco Weekly music editor Ian S. Port, tells the story of two protagonists, Leo Fender and Les Paul, whose instruments helped create the sounds associated with the genre. In the hands of Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix among others, the Fenders and the Gibson Les Paul’s revolutionized the way guitars were perceived, played and crucially, heard. At the center of the narrative are two opposite personalities and their fascinating biographies.

“A hot-rod joy ride through mid-20th-century American history” – The New York Times

“The story of these instruments is the story of America in the postwar loud, cocky, brash, aggressively new.”  – The Washington Post 

“an excellent dual portrait” – The Wall Street Journal

Ian S. Port is an award-winning writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, The Three Penny, and The Believer among others. He is also the former music editor of the San Francisco Weekly.

This event marks the first in the return of the Les Paul Legacy Series. Stay tuned for more event and workshop dates!

The Birth of Loud is on sale at the Mahwah Museum and Mr. Port will be available to sign them on the evening of the event. You can order your copy today through our bookstore.

Registration is now open. In-person tickets are $20 per person, and $10 for Mahwah Museum members. Virtual tickets are $15 per person and $10 for Mahwah Museum members.
All tickets can be purchased online through our e-bookstore on mahwahmuseum.org.