Dennis McNally

Dennis McNally is the author of the forthcoming music history On Highway 61: Music, Race, and the Evolution of Cultural Freedom (on sale October 14) on the development of African American music throughout the 20th century and its influence on abolition, civil rights, and interracial culture in the United States. He is the former publicist and authorized biographer of The Grateful Dead, as well as the author of the Jack Kerouac biography Desolate Angel: Jack Kerouac, the Beat Generation, and America.

The Dead Get Their Songwriting Due

Golden Road

Robert Hunter and the late Jerry Garcia—who wrote the greatest Dead songs—get honored by their peers with induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Dennis McNally | Published Jun 18, 2015

Kerouac’s Crackup

REPUTATION SECURE

Not so long ago, some of Jack Kerouac’s books were out of print and rare as hen’s teeth. It’s a true measure of his permanence that scarcity is no longer a problem.

Dennis McNally | Published Mar 22, 2015

How Rock and Roll Killed Jim Crow

VOLATILE

An excerpt from Dennis McNally’s cultural history ‘On Highway 61’ shows the parallel tracks of Civil Rights and rock and how each influenced the other.

Dennis McNally | Published Oct 26, 2014

Back on the Road With Jack Kerouac

Life Lessons

Thirty-five years ago, Dennis McNally wrote a life of Beat icon Jack Kerouac. Looking back, he sees things in the book he’s proud of and a couple of things that make him wince.

Dennis McNally | Published Oct 02, 2014