# Hit Parader Magazine: An Appreciation



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Before the (evil) internet, the newsstands were a valuable information resource on the newly-emergent rock music which was being formed before our eyes and ears in the late 60s-early 70s.

Hit Parader, now in retrospect, was actually a magazine of some substance, not just another 'teen' magazine. It was the rock version of Downbeat. It had interviews with artists from England, and producers & artists here in the US.

Frank Zappa obviously understood its importance, as he ran ads for Hagstrom guitars.

Notable moments: a picture of a (shirtless) Bob Hite, standing in front of his shelves of old blues 78s; an issue on the British invasion, with Pete Townsend windmilling on the cover; Eric Clapton's favorite albums, in which he mentions B.B.King's Live at the Regal; and much more.

Later, as rock continued to change, my interest waned as I got into more blues and jazz; but eventually this 'pulp fascination' rekindled with the appearance of Lisa Robinson's Rock Scene magazine, and New York Rocker.


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## Jay (Jul 21, 2014)

Yeah, pre-_Rolling Stone_ and before _Crawdaddy!_, HP was about the only mag covering the "heavy" rock bands.


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