Joe McEwen with George Drakoulias on 'Tastykakes, Soul Songs & Shining Stars' (Los Angeles)
June 18, 7 PM PM PT • Los Angeles, CA: Book Soup | 8818 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Join ZE Books at Book Soup for an evening celebrating the release of Tastykakes, Soul Songs & Shining Stars: Affections and Reflections 1973–2025 by veteran A&R executive and music historian Joe McEwen. For this West Coast launch, McEwen will be joined in conversation by legendary producer and music supervisor George Drakoulias.
A vivid and deeply personal record of a lifelong obsession with soul and R&B, Tastykakes follows McEwen’s journey from a childhood in Philadelphia—where his twin passions were soul music and basketball—to a storied career in the heart of the music industry. The collection gathers fifty years of encounters and essays, offering intimate profiles of icons such as the Staple Singers, George Clinton, Allen Toussaint, Betty Wright, and Michael Jackson.
Two of the industry’s most influential "ears," McEwen and Drakoulias will discuss the evolution of the American sound, the art of A&R, and the enduring magic of the rhythm-and-blues tradition.
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
George Drakoulias is one of modern music and film's most influential figures. A protégé of Rick Rubin and one of the first employees at Def Jam, he went on to produce seminal albums for The Black Crowes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and The Jayhawks. As a premier music supervisor, his credits span over 50 films and television series, including Joker, Barbie, The Batman, The Hangover trilogy, and Severance. He lives in Los Angeles.
About the Venue
https://booksoup.com/
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
