culture and music, divided pop-music culture into two eras- "B.E." and "A.E."-which not only changed contemporary music but changed cultural values around the world as well. The transition of blues and soul to rock and roll was not limited to Elvis and Bill Haley; some first movers within minority markets, such as Louis Armstrong, Nat "King" Cole, and Chuck Berry, achieved substantial mass-market success. Following a trickle-up approach, they broke through the traditional race-based market bar- riers to reach and dazzle mainstream markets. But even rural blues stars like B.B. King achieved greater success because of the massifica- tion of his product by the likes of the Rolling Stones and Eric Clap- ton. In fact, today, his records sell to more white consumers than African-American fans. Two white singers who helped pave the way for mainstream adop- tion of B.B. King were Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley. Like Elvis, they listened to black singers such as Charlie & Ray and Jessie and Marvin, duplicating their soul-based, close-harmony songs so well that they were booked at black-oriented clubs. During one of their     appearances, one fan yelled to them on stage, "Thats righteous, brothers." You know how the story goes from here. Millions of records and scads of sold-out concerts later, it was clear that fans of all colors had embraced rock-and-roll sounds derived from the African-American culture. Hatfield and Medley were honored as the Righteous Brothers at the 2003 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induc- tion ceremonies for their "blue-eyed soul" music. At that same 2003 induction ceremony, Elton John acknowledged the debt rock and rollers owe to the blues musicians who developed the art form that led to rock and rolls dominance among global music and culture. The principle of "Borrow from the best" lives deeply inside the walls of many stellar corporations, well illustrated by two of the most dominant brands in the world-Microsoft and Wal-Mart. DOS was the operating system licensed by Microsoft for IBM personal com- puters, but Bill Gates didnt write that program-it was purchased from someone else. Microsoft took an existing idea and made it a dominant product, diffusing personal computers to the masses. At Wal-Mart, Sam Walton was famed for plucking ideas from employ- ees, competitors, and books and rolling them out fast. When a reporter asked him about borrowing ideas, he acknowledged the importance of this practice, but he added, "I always try to improve on them." The way great brands roll over everyone else is by incessant borrowing from the best-perfecting wheels, not inventing them.     Baby Boo mers Rule!   Its a simple statement with profound ramifications for marketers. Just ask the Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Bruce Springsteen, all of whom have achieved market success in part because of their connec- tion to the largest demographic segment in the United States. Once popular with this nostalgic, massive, and lucrative market, bands that evolve to stay relevant and remain top-shelf performers can ride the boomer wave to sustained profitability. Brands, such as Coke, have done the