Move on Up

"Move On Up is an extraordinary achievement, packed with deep research and vivid writing, with a backbeat so strong it thumps from every page. Cohen has written the definitive account of an important slice of American popular culture. Cue up the Chi-Lites, open this book, and enjoy!"--Jonathan Eig, author of "Ali: A Life"
"Among DJs, hip-hop producers, record collectors, and other aficionados, Charles Stepney's work has come to exemplify Black Chicago's monumental contribution to American musical culture in the 1960s and 1970s: its mix of commercialism, tradition, and Afrofuturism. . . . Cohen expertly documents that contribution in Move On Up."-- "New York Review of Books"
"Many of the ten best arts books reviewed in Booklist over the past year reclaim or more fully appreciate artists whose legacies have been neglected or minimized due to their gender, sexual orientation, or race, while other titles offer new perspectives on icon figures and music itself. . . . Some of the biggest names in African American music populate Cohen's vivid history of soul music in Chicago as he traces its evolution and profound and far-reaching social and artistic impact." --Donna Seaman "Booklist, "Top 10 Arts Books: 2019"" (10/15/2019 12:00:00 AM)
"With a journalist's clarity, a scholar's curiosity, and a local's passion, the incomparable Aaron Cohen affirms why Chicago has always been more than its challenges. Move On Up shows how big-shouldered grit, astonishing talent, and entrepreneurial savvy combined to make 'the Chi' a powerhouse center for music and activism back in the days when the world discovered that black was, indeed, beautiful."--Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr., University of Pennsylvania, author of "Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop" and "The Amazing Bud Powell: Black Genius, Jazz History, and the Challenge of Bebop"
"The subject of Move on Up, Aaron Cohen insists in the first few pages, is Chicago soul music as a vector of social change. . . . Move on Upis less concerned with labels, venues, and fan behavior than it is with the shaping influence of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s strategic move into Chicago in 1966, or Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton's speech at the Affro-Arts Theater in the late 1960s. Cohen's most valuable contribution here is to demonstrate that the 'Black Cultural Power' of his subtitle was forged as a web of political, cultural, and social engagements."-- "Journal of Popular Music Studies"
"An absorbing approach. . . . Move On Up is a fascinating deep dive into a city's evolving black presence. It avoids any stylistic squabbles or narrowing categorization, making it far easier to understand and appreciate such diverse acts as Ramsey Lewis, the Chi-Lites, Chaka Khan, and Terry Callier as part of the same rounded and often surprising movement."--Lloyd Bradley "Times Literary Supplement"
"Cohen's latest, Move On Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power, looks at how the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Terry Callier, and The Chi-Lites (among many others) came to create beautiful music and black-owned businesses. Rather than simply provide potted biographies of the stars, Cohen shows how things developed in the studio and through negotiations."-- "Rock'n'Reel"
"Cohen's short but impactful and insightful book covers nearly seventy years of black music history...Move On Up's most significant contribution to music history is its examination of how the performers received their music training...if there is a manuscript-sized rationale for the importance of music education in the public school system, Move On Up is it."--Robert M. Marovich "ARSC Journal"
"Remember the Year of Chicago Music? Yeah, that was supposed to be happening right now. While some of the energy of that celebration may still exist and some of it may still happen, the virus has taken most of the wind out of the Windy City's plans. But it hasn't stopped people's interest in our musical culture. A recent publication, Cohen's book Move On Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power, seems timed appropriately and provides a good read for anyone interested in the modern history of Chicago music. Cohen . . . has built a reputation for adroit research and insight. . . . Move On Up was a labor of love. . . . Anyone wanting to fill in knowledge gaps about this period would do well to read this volume."--Jeff Cebulski "Chicago Jazz Magazine"
"The Chicago-based author of Aretha Franklin: 'Amazing Grace' has set his sights on Windy City soul music and how it helped fuel black empowerment in his new book, Move On Up. Cohen . . . talks about the hitmakers, like The Impressions and Curtis Mayfield, Chaka Khan, The Chi-Lites, The Dells, but his book, published by the University of Chicago Press, is more than just a romp through the R&B charts. Rather, Cohen seeks to tell the story of how folks like Mayfield and Phil Cohran and the Pharaohs made music aimed at uplifting black consciousness and boosting African-American pride."--Bobby Tanzilo "OnMilwaukee"
"Move on Up takes its place alongside Charles L. Hughes's Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South, Suzanne E. Smith's Dancing in the Street: Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit, and Emily J. Lordi's forthcoming The Meaning of Soul: Black Music and Resilience since the 1960s as a provocative exploration of soul music and its richly embedded history in a community. Cohen's book stands alone, however, for its brilliant depictions of a vibrant musical community and the development of various musical styles that illustrate musicians' attempts to reflect and to respond to the often rapidly changing social and political currents swirling around them."--Henry Carrigan "No Depression" (7/30/2020 12:00:00 AM)
"Move On Up is an essential read not only for soul music fans, but for anyone interested in the social, cultural, and political history of Chicago during a key period in the twentieth century. This book will certainly be added to the reading list for many college music courses in the years to come. Highly recommended."--Brenda Nelson-Strauss "Black Grooves" (12/5/2019 12:00:00 AM)
"Rarely has the history of the town's soul music received the deep-dive treatment. . . . Cohen is a nimble storyteller with a smooth way of delivering the goods, which isn't easy, considering the often convoluted trajectory of the genre. . . . The author uses his journalistic skills and training to track the soul trail. . . . What's clearly evident throughout Move On Up is Cohen's intimacy with soul's history and Chicago's complex cultural matrix. . . . One of Mayfield's tunes is a fitting conclusion to the discussion here: 'I'm A-Telling You, ' this is a good book." --Herb Boyd "Downbeat"
"Spanning the late 1950s to the 1980s, Move On Up is a meticulously reported and illuminating social history that has more on its mind than simply replaying greatest hits. . . . Cohen conducted just over one hundred interviews spanning two decades. They capture still vibrant living witnesses to this pivotal era in Chicago music."--Donald Liebenson "Chicago Tribune"