Joe McEwen and Steve Greenberg on 'Tastykakes, Soul Songs & Shining Stars' (NYC)
Music industry stalwart Joe McEwen celebrates his debut book release at Jefferson Market Library (April 28), in conversation with S-Curve Records founder Steve Greenberg.
Apr , 6:30 PM ET • New York, NY: McNally Jackson Seaport | 4 Fulton St
Please join respected A&R executive, DJ and music journalist Joe McEwen in celebration of his debut writing collection ‘Tastykakes, Soul Songs and Shining Stars,' which comes out April 28 via ZE Books. That same day, he'll discuss the book - a labor of love, half a century in the making - in conversation with Steve Greenberg (S-Curve Records founder, Grammy-winning record producer) at Jefferson Market Library.
Within this new book's pages, McEwen gathers a lifetime’s worth of encounters, essays, and reveries into one radiant collection, a love letter to rhythm-and-blues and soul music. It bursts with vivid, compelling, up-front and personal profiles (predominantly written by McEwen while working as a music journalist in the 1970s) with a host of indelible figures: Pops and Mavis Staples, George Clinton, Allen Toussaint, Betty Wright, Michael Jackson, Gamble and Huff, Don Covay, and many more.
In the years following, McEwen worked with groundbreaking artists including Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Wilco, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Dinosaur Jr. for labels like Columbia, Sire/Warner, Verve and Concord Music Group. As McEwen recalls in the book's final chapter: “I saw James Brown at the Arena in West Philadelphia in the fall of 1966...somewhere inside remains the heart of a 16-year-old kid, overcome by a sense of uncomprehending, incredulous amazement at the drama and spectacle unfolding before me.”
About the Author
Joe McEwen was born in Philadelphia and raised in the near suburbs, where his affection for soul, R&B, blues, and jazz thrived. His first major experiences as a music writer and critic and radio DJ took place in and around his college years in Boston, writing for the Boston Phoenix and Real Paper, and graduating to the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and other outlets in the US and UK. He contributed five chapters to the original Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll (1976), to Greil Marcus’ Stranded (1978), and numerous anthologies. His first book was Sam Cooke: The Man Who Invented Soul (Sire Books/ Chappell Music Company, 1977). Joe McEwen currently resides in Laguna Niguel, California.
About the Interlocuor
Steve Greenberg is a music executive and record producer, Founder and CEO of S-Curve Records, and has signed/produced such artists as Joss Stone, Baha Men, Tom Jones, Andy Grammer, Jonas Brothers, AJR, Duran Duran, Fountains of Wayne, Swamp Dogg, Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr., and Hanson. Additionally, Steve manages the multi-platinum alt-pop band AJR.
Steve is a multiple Grammy winner: As producer of “Who Let The Dogs Out” by Baha Men which earned Steve a 2001 Grammy Award in the '”Best Dance Recording”, and as album notes writer for his essay featured in the “Stax ‘68” box-sed, which won a Best Album Notes Grammy. Steve was a 2005 Grammy nominee in the 'Best Pop Vocal Album' category as producer of Joss Stone’s “Mind, Body and Soul,” a nominee in the Best Historical Album category as producer of the 9-CD “The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968” box set, a nominee in the Best Album Notes category for “Otis! The Essential Otis Redding”, and a nominee in the Best Tradional R&B category as a producer of “Betty Wright and the Roots”.
From 2004-2006, Steve served as President of Columbia Records, where he signed and produced the Jonas Brothers. Prior to that he was Head of A&R of Mercury Records, where he signed Hanson and executive-produced their debut album, containing the #1 single “Mmmbop.”
Steve lives in New York City.
About the Venue
https://www.nypl.org/locations/jefferson-market
Tastykakes, Soul Songs and Shining Stars is a rich and passionate record of a life-long obsession with soul music and Rhythm & Blues from music industry stalwart and legendary A&R man Joe McEwen. At various times in his lengthy career McEwen has worked with Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, K.D. Lang, Wilco, Nick Lowe, Built To Spill, Queen Latifah, the Frank Sinatra catalogue, and many others.
Release: Apr 28, 2026
Paperback ISBN: 9798988670124 • 272 pages
UK release: Jun 11, 2026 • UK Price: £14.99
