Becoming Elektra is an account of Elektra Records in the Jac Holzman years from 1950 to 1973 It tells the story of Elektra's growth from a small independent folk label to a major multi-faceted hit making concern Jac Holzman's role in founding & running the company is central to the story & his capacity for lateral thinking
- that led to innovations such as the first-ever sampler album & a million-selling series of sound effects records
- is a recurring theme But the book is not just a story of one man's business success It is also about the label's artists & the great music they produced & other key people who gave the company its identity Becoming Elektra places the label in a broad context A gripping narrative drawing in elements of musical & cultural history & biographies of the main participants in the story the book opens with a pivotal moment in Elektra's history when Holzman discovered The Doors It then goes back to the previously untold story of Elektra in the 50s when the label brought folk music to a wide audience through artists such as Jean Ritchie Josh White Theodore Bikel & Bob Gibson Moving into the 60s the story takes in artists that have had an extraordinary resonance down the years including some such as Tim Buckley who are far more popular today than in their lifetime His story is told along with those of artists that read like an inventory of 60s & 70s musical innovation The Doors Love Judy Collins The Paul Butterfield Band (with Michael Bloomfield) Tom Paxton Tim Buckley Fred Neil David Ackles Phil Ochs Bread Queen Mickey Newbury The Incredible String Band Carly Simon The Stooges & The MC5