This morning the NYTimes arts section had an article on Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, held in Chicago this past weekend. Celebrating the profound musicianship and influence of blues-based rockers from Buddy Guy to Derek Trucks, the festival underscored the importance of the guitar in in an age when the frontier of music steadily drifts more and more towards the electronic.

For another interpretation and celebration of the relevance of rock and roll to American culture, see Thomas Denenberg’s 2009 Backstage Pass, which looks at the long and rich relationship between American photographers and musicians over the past 40 years.