A History of Birmingham Rock & Roll: A Trading Card Collection 

By Craig Legg 

Foreword by Burgin Matthews  

Introduction by Mark Harrelson 

Preface by the artist 

Sealegs Press, 2025 

Hardcover: $60.00 

Genre: Nonfiction 

Reviewed by Danny Gamble 

With A History of Birmingham Rock & Roll: A Trading Card Collection, artist, poet, bohemian raconteur Craig Legg has nearabout captured the essence of the Magic City’s musical heritage.  According to the book’s subtitle, Legg has assembled 350+ images of Birmingham-linked music aficionados from native son and Allman Brothers Band and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell to Charlemagne and Renaissance Records resident human encyclopedia Jimmy Griffin. From there, viewers/readers will encounter like-minded individuals in chapters that offer a wide variety of subgroups, some arranged chronologically, others by genre, memorable concerts, or live music venues. Rock radio plays a role as well. 

In his Preface, Legg writes, “I am self-taught, certainly no ‘fine’ artist, rather a primitive.” Birmingham photographer Elizabeth Wyngarden Limbaugh, a collector of Legg’s art, agrees: “Craig’s painting style is elementary in a most whimsical way: folksy enough to be charming, serious enough to be taken seriously.”  Huntsville-based artist Stanford Heatherly defines Legg’s art as “Post folk with a nod toward Reverend Howard Finster.”  

Legg also writes, “And while the paintings are small, they are bigger in size than the standard 2 x 4’ trading card, most ranging in size from 5 x 7’ to 9 x 12’.  

(“Hey, I have two Vicki Hallmans…Trade you one for that Doug Lee.”) 

So why review a picture book for an organization that promotes Alabama writers? In Legg’s case, the answer is simple. He is both a visual artist and a writer in multiple genres. One informs the other. Here, Legg narrates 350+ stories with brush and palette, and as rock and roll stalwart Rod Stewart sings, “Every picture tells a story, don’t it?” 

Legg’s public rock & roll genesis began in January 2019 with an exhibit of his paintings. Here, his illustrations begin with the chapter “Rockabilly Cats/Early Rockers.” In these pages, browsers will discover some early musical multitaskers—the musicians, songwriters, record producers, and nightclub owners, often embodied in a single person.  

The next five chapters are arranged chronologically with a brief stop at “Black & Blue Roots,” a chapter that salutes rock’s forebearers. Remember Muddy Waters’s song “The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock & Roll.” Muddy Waters isn’t from Alabama, but Birmingham’s Davey Williams is. He spent some hard travelin’ with Delta bluesman Johnny Shines.  The Temptations formed around Ensley’s Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams, and Birmingham’s Sam Lay played drums for Bob Dylan at his “Dylan Goes Electric” turn during the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Williams, Kendricks, and Lay have each been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Quite naturally, Legg highlights some other musical heavy hitters in his book—the aforementioned Chuck Leavell, Hee-Haw Honey Vicki Hallman, and Woodlawn’s pride, Emmylou Harris. American Idol winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Bo Bice from Birmingham’s nearby suburbs are both pictured. And these few are only a small part of the quality performers Birmingham has offered—and continues to offer—over the past eight or so decades. 

Some critics have expressed concern over who is included and who is omitted from this book. Legg apologetically addresses such critics: “The paintings in this book constitute what I call a ‘trading card series.’ It is not a Hall of Fame…. [T]here are exclusions…. [For] many deserving of inclusion, I could not find a photo from which to paint.” 

With the hope that there are many more paintings to come, perhaps some performers left out this go around will be included next time. Remember what Mick and Keith taught us: “It’s only rock and roll, but [we] like it.”  

Look back at Limbaugh’s comment about the sometimes-whimsical nature of Legg’s work. With a keen eye, flip slowly through the pages of his book. Did you catch it? He seems to be teasing his audience. It’s almost as if Legg has invented a new game, a puzzle based on hide and go seek, or more closely, “Where’s Waldo.” The answer is readily apparent from the front jacket. Catch it? That’s a facsimile of the Sex Pistols’ The Great Rock & Roll Swindle. Check out the book’s comprehensive index. Find Page 43. Here you’ll see that Klaus Voormann’s portraits of John, Paul, George, and Ringo on their Revolver album jacket have morphed into Dannie, Vanie, Kenny, and Mike from the Beatles tribute band Revolver. 

I’ll let readers find the Talking Heads and Led Zeppelin album covers. There may be more.    

On their EP The First Time, Jim Bob and the Leisure Suits’ Matt Kimbrell sings, “They don’t make stars out of bar bands from Birmingham.” Craig Legg’s A History of Birmingham Rock & Roll may belie that notion. In the meantime, support your local musicians. 

 

 

 

Danny Gamble writes from Montevallo, Alabama, a rural incubator for musicians such as Dogwood, Nowhere Squares, Delicate Cutters, and the Crutchfield twins, among others.