John Rockwell

• Name — John Rockwell • Birth Name — John Sargent Rockwell • Born — 16 September 1940 • Birthplace — Washington, D.C., U.S. • Education — * Phillips Academy • Harvard University • LMU Munich • University of California, Berkeley • Occupation — * Music critic • dance critic • arts administrator • Spouse — Linda Mevorach

Rockwell was born on September 16, 1940, to San Francisco attorney Alvin J. Rockwell (1908–1999) and Anna S. Hayward (1906–1983). He studied at Phillips Academy, Harvard University, LMU Munich, and the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in German cultural history.

Rockwell began his journalistic career at the Oakland Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. In 1972 he began writing at The New York Times, first as a classical music critic and reporter, then also as the paper's chief pop music critic, and, from 1992 to 1994, as the European cultural correspondent. His use of the phrase "pop punk," to describe a 1977 Tom Petty performance at a New York Club called Bottom Line, was likely the first written usage of the phrase. Between 1994 and 1998, he served as the first director of the Lincoln Center Festival. Rockwell returned to The New York Times to become the editor of the paper's Sunday Arts and Leisure section. In 2004, he was named the chief dance critic. He left the Times at the end of 2006 to pursue independent projects. Rockwell got his start in radio journalism at WHRB at Harvard and at KPFA in Berkeley. On WNYC Radio, Rockwell examined cultural topics and events in the news for his weekly Monday-night segment, "Rockwell Matters", from October 2007 until May 2008. In January 2008, Rockwell was a Distinguished Visitor at the American Academy in Berlin. He is a Chevalier of the French Order of Arts & Letters.

Rockwell currently lives in Manhattan with his wife, Linda Mevorach. Their daughter, Sasha, resides in California.

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