The craze for skiffle music in Britain lasted for only two years, from 1956 to 1958, but this invigorating blend of American folk, jazz, and blues, which grew out of the traditional jazz revival in England, set the stage for the British Invasion of the 1960s.

The Bee Gees was a family band that started even before its three members became teenagers. Their extraordinary talent and ability to change their sound with the times helped make them one of the longest surviving groups of the rock era. Cary Ginell is a Grammy-nominated writer and author of 12 books on American music. After a 30-year career in radio, he has spent the last 20 years as a public speaker, talking about music in classrooms, at conferences, and on cruise ships. Cary brings a lifelong passion for the recording industry to his work and is one of the world’s foremost authorities on his specialty, western swing. Cary previously served as President of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, an international organization of music scholars and world-renowned institutions. He holds a master’s degree in Folklore from UCLA and a bachelor’s in Radio/TV/Film from Cal State University Northridge. Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older. All are welcome to this one-time lecture.