Dave Marsh (born ) is an American

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American rock music magazine and entertainment company, founded in Detroit, whose initial print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor ...

'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'', ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', and ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', and has published numerous books about music and musicians, mostly focused on

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

. He is also a committee member of the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

Early life

Marsh grew up in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

, and graduated from Waterford Kettering High School in Waterford, Michigan. He attended

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in Detroit before dropping out in 1969 to write for ''

'' magazine.

Career

Marsh began his career as a rock critic and editor at ''Creem'', which he helped start. At ''Creem'', he was mentored by close friend and colleague

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist and critic. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines and was also a performing musician. The music critic Jim DeRogatis called ...

. While supportive of punk music in general, he said in a 2001 interview that "I don't know that it was any more important than

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

", and believes

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

is more significant than punk in the history of rock music. He has written extensively about his favorite artists, including

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

, whose song "

I Heard It Through the Grapevine "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a ...

" he chose as the number one single of all-time in his book ''The Heart of Rock and Soul: the 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made'', and

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...

, whom he called "one of the greatest musical adventurers rock has ever known." Along with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine publisher

Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American businessman who co-founded the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'' with Ralph J. Gleason and is the former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free S ...

, Marsh has been involved in organizing and maintaining the

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. Marsh has at times courted controversy with his style of maintaining selections. Marsh has championed the work of many

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

artists of the Fifties and early Sixties, including

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

and soul artists and girl groups, in his books and ''Rolling Stone'' contributions. Marsh also published four books about

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

, including the bestsellers ''Born to Run'' and ''Glory Days''. Marsh has edited and contributed to ''Rock and Roll Confidential'', a newsletter about rock music and social issues. The newsletter has since been renamed ''Rock and Rap Confidential''. Marsh contributed to the 1994 book ''Mid-Life Confidential'', a book about and by the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band composed of American authors. He has also worked for ''

'' and '' The Real Paper''. Marsh's book ''360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story — Legends and Legacy'', was released in October 2012, as a companion to Sean Wilentz's book ''360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story''. In the same format as ''Heart of Rock and Soul'', this book covers the 264 greatest songs from Columbia Records beginning with the 1890 performance of

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

's "

Washington Post March "The Washington Post" (often called "The Washington Post March") is a March (music), march composed by John Philip Sousa in 1889. Since then, it has remained as one of his most popular marches throughout the United States and many other countries ...

" and working its way chronologically up to

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

's " Rolling in the Deep" (2011). To promote the music of Columbia Records, ''Legends and Legacy'' is available as a free eBook on iTunes."

Criticism of musicians

Marsh has been characterised as a "grumpy rock and roll journalist" due to his acerbic comments on popular musicians whom he dislikes.Suttle, Tim
"New Book Rips U2′s Bono as a Lap-dog for Neo-liberals"

Patheos Patheos is a non-denominational, non-partisan online media company providing information and commentary from various, mostly religious, perspectives. Upon its launch in May 2009, the website was primarily geared toward learning about religions ...

. May 9, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013. In 1976, he wrote that

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

had an "insurmountable flaw" in drummer

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...

, whom he saw as "something like clinically incompetent" and responsible for marring every Zeppelin album to date. In 1977, Marsh described Queen frontman

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

– who is regarded as one of the best rock singers of all time – as possessing a "passable pop voice". Marsh wrote in 1978: "

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

isn't here just to entertain. This group has come to make it clear exactly who is superior and who is inferior. Its anthem, 'We Will Rock You', is a marching order: you will not rock us, we will rock you. Indeed, Queen may be the first truly fascist rock band... wonder why anyone would indulge these creeps and their polluting ideas." Marsh described

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

's 1980 album '' Against the Wind'' as "absolutely cowardly". He was much more supportive of Seger's earlier work. In the 1983 ''Rolling Stone Record Guide'', Marsh called Journey "a dead end for San Francisco area rock", and their music "calculated". He awarded every single Journey album released up to that point – seven studio albums, a compilation album and a live album – the minimum possible score of 1/5 stars. When asked about Marsh's unrelenting derision of Journey on a 1986 television program during which other critics had defended the band, lead singer

Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Journey during their most successful years from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He wrote/co-wrote ...

called Marsh "an unusual little man who all too often thinks that his subjective opinions translate to inarguable fact". Also in the 1983 ''Rolling Stone Record Guide'', Marsh described

Air Supply Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). With record sales of 100 million worldwide, they had a suc ...

as "The most calculated and soulless pseudo-group of its kind, which is saying something". In 1989, Marsh referred to the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

as the "worst band in creation". Regarding a possible Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

, Marsh said: "Kiss is not a great band. Kiss was never a great band. Kiss never will be a great band, and I have done my share to keep them off the ballot." Kiss were ultimately inducted in 2014; in the lead-up, Marsh said: "I was done with them before I ever turned the first album over to the second side... all that mediocrity was harmless enough until the boastful bassist decided to turn it into a propaganda machine for the only two things he's ever loved:

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...

and money." Lead singer

Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who was the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss from the band's inception in 1973 to their retireme ...

described Marsh as "pompous", and pointed to his derision of Led Zeppelin and Queen as evidence that he had "no clue" about music. In the March 13, 1975 edition of ''

'', Marsh was one of a number of critics asked about Bob Dylan's ''Blood on the Tracks.'' Marsh wrote: "The long songs, particularly, suffer from flat, tangled imagery, and the music, with all its hints at the old glory, is often incompetently performed. I suppose it's all a matter of what you're willing to settle for."

Talk shows

Dave Marsh hosts three

Sirius XM Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merger ...

shows, one called ''Live from E Street Nation'', airing on E Street Radio and the second ''Kick Out the Jams'', airing Sundays on music talk channel

Volume Volume is a measure of regions in three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch) ...

. The title references the

MC5 MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...

album ''

Kick Out the Jams ''Kick Out the Jams'' is the debut album by American rock band MC5. A live album, it was recorded at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit over two nights, October 30 and 31, 1968, and released in February 1969, by Elektra Records. The album peaked at ...

''. Marsh's third Sirius program, the political talk show ''Live From the Land of Hopes and Dreams'', airs Sunday afternoons on Sirius Left, channel 146 and America Left, channel 167 on

XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XM) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable ...

Charitable causes

Marsh is a co-founder and trustee of the Kristen Ann Carr Fund,The Kristen Ann Carr Fund
/ref> created in memory of his step-daughter who died in 1993 from sarcoma, a form of cancer. The fund is dedicated to supporting research in the treatment and cure of sarcoma, as well as improving the lives of young adult cancer patients and their families.

Personal life

Through his marriage to Barbara Carr, a co-manager of

, Marsh is stepfather to her two daughters, Kristen Ann and Dr. Sasha J. Carr. Kristen died in 1993 from

sarcoma A sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that arises from cells of mesenchymal origin. Originating from mesenchymal cells means that sarcomas are cancers of connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, or vascular tissues. Sarcom ...

, leading to the family founding the Kristen Ann Carr Fund. Sasha, a

clinical psychologist Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

who focused on family care, died on December 28, 2024, in

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

Bibliography

* ''Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story'', (Doubleday) 1979 * ''The Book of Rock Lists'', (Dell) 1980 * ''Elvis'', (Times Books) 1982 * ''Rocktopicon: Unlikely questions and their surprising answers'', (Contemporary) 1982 * ''Before I Get Old: The Story of the Who'', (St. Martin's Press) 1983 * ''Fortunate Son'' (Random House) 1983. A collection of his journalism and criticism. * ''The First Rock and Roll Confidential Report: Inside the Real World of Rock and Roll'', 1984. Compilation. * ''Sun City: The Making of the Record'', (Penguin) 1985 * ''Trapped: Michael Jackson and the Crossover Dream'', (Bantam) 1986 * '' The Rolling Stone Record Guide: Reviews and Ratings of Almost 10,000 Currently Available Rock, Pop, Soul, Country, Blues, Jazz, and Gospel Albums'' (first and second editions 1979, 1983) * ''Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s'', 1987. A sequel to ''Born to Run''. * * ''Heaven Is Under Our Feet: A Book for Walden Woods'', co-editor with

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician who is a founding member of the rock band the Eagles, for whom he is the drummer and co-lead vocalist, as well as its sole continuous member. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles ...

, (Longmeadow Press, 1991) * ''50 Ways to Fight Censorship: And Important Facts to Know About the Censors'' (Thunder's Mouth Press), 1991 * ''

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a Standard (music), stand ...

: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock'n'Roll song; Including the Full Details of Its Torture and Persecution at the Hands of the Kingsmen, J. Edgar Hoover's F.B.I., and a Cast of Millions; and Introducing, for the First Time Anywhere, the Actual Dirty Lyrics'', (Hyperion), 1992. * ''Merry Christmas Baby: Holiday Music from Bing to Sting'', (Little Brown) 1992. * ''Pastures of Plenty: A Self-Portrait'' with Harold Leventhal and featuring the writings of

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

(Perennial) 1992 * ''The New Book of Rock Lists'' with James Bernard, (Fireside) 1994 * ''Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude'' (Viking) 1994 * ''Sam and Dave'' (For the Record series), (Harper Perennial) 1998 * ''Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History'' (For the Record series), (Quill) 1998 * ''George Clinton & P-Funkadelic'' (For the Record series), (Harper Perennial) 1998 * ''Bruce Springsteen: Two Hearts : The Definitive Biography, 1972-2003'', (Routledge) 2003. Combines earlier two works about Bruce and adds a new chapter. * ''Forever Young: Photographs of Bob Dylan'' with Douglas R. Gilbert (Da Capo Press) 2005 * ''Bruce Springsteen on Tour : 1968-2005'' (Bloomsbury USA) 2006 * ''The Beatles' Second Album'' (Rodale Books) 2007 * ''360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story - Legends and Legacy'' (Chronicle Books) 2012

References

External links

''Rock and Rap Confidential''

The Heart of Rock and Soul
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Dave Living people Wayne State University alumni American music critics American music journalists Bruce Springsteen Grammy Award winners Writers from Detroit Rolling Stone people Year of birth missing (living people)