Jim Dawson


Jim Dawson is a Hollywood, California-based author who has specialized in American pop culture and the history of flatulence. A self-proclaimed "fartologist", he has written three books about flatulence, including the best-selling Who Cut the Cheese?

Biography

Jim Dawson is a Hollywood-based writer who has specialized in American pop culture and the history of flatulence. Mojo magazine called his What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record, co-written with Steve Propes, "one of the most impressive musical reads of the year"; it remains a valuable source for music critics and rock historians, and an updated second edition is currently available on Kindle. Dawson has also written a series of articles on early rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll pioneers for the Los Angeles Times, including a front-page story in the Calendar entertainment section on the forgotten tragic figure Ritchie Valens. The piece led directly to Rhino Records reissuing Valens' entire catalog and eventually to the 1987 biopic La Bamba, which used some of Dawson's research. Since 1983 Dawson has also written liner notes for roughly 150 albums and CDs, including Rhino's prestigious "Central Avenue Sounds" box set celebrating the history of jazz and early R&B in Los Angeles. He's currently working on a novel about a 1920 coal mine war in his native West Virginia.

Books