Bøger i Music in American Life serien

Presents the who, what, where, and when of rockabilly music

"The product of a hardscrabble childhood, J. Mayo "Ink" Williams parlayed an Ivy League education into unlikely twin careers as a foundational producer of Black music and pioneering Black player in the early NFL. Clifford R. Murphy tells the story of an ambitious, upwardly mobile life affected, but never daunted, by white society's racism or the Black community's class tensions. Williams caroused with Paul Robeson, recorded the likes of Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson, and lined up against Chicago Bears player-coach George Halas. Though resented by the artists he exploited, Williams combined a rock-solid instinct for what would sell with an ear for music that put him at the forefront of finding, recording, and blending blues and jazz. Murphy charts Williams's wide-ranging accomplishments while providing portraits of the cutthroat recording industry and the possibilities, however constrained, of Black life in the 1920s and 1930s. Vivid and engaging, Ink brings to light the extraordinary journey of a Black businessman and athlete"--

'A landmark in American musical historiography.... Indispensable for music teachers and scholars; moreover, it is accessible to the layman.... An exhaustive bibliography, excellent discography, and rarely seen illustrations and photographs add to its attractiveness.'

The story of the night club impresario whose wildly successful interracial club, Cafe Society, changed the American artistic landscape forever

Beginning with the musical cultures of the American South in the 1920s and 1930s, this title traces the genre through its pivotal developments during the era of Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys in the forties. It also describes early bluegrass' role in postwar country music, and its trials following the appearance of rock and roll.

From the plaintive tunes of woe sung by exiled kings and queens of Africa to the spirited work songs and "shouts" of freedmen, this title traces the course of early black folk music in various its guises.

Marian Anderson was a woman with two disparate voices. The first - a powerful, majestic contralto spanning four octaves - catapulted her from Philadelphia poverty to international fame. A second, softer voice emanated from her mere presence. This study of Anderson's life features separate appendices for Anderson's repertory and discography.

Reflections from the legendary R & B deejay whose signature sound seared the airwaves

The inside story on the Father of Bluegrass from one of his Blue Grass Boys

A biography of Louis Prima, one of the most underrated jazz musicians and entertainers of the twentieth century. It explores Prima's ability to maintain a lifelong career, his knack for self-promotion, and how the cities in which he lived and performed - New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas - uniquely and indelibly informed his style.

Contains vignettes from both on and off the stage about the personalities of the Chicago blues scene in contemporary times. This book takes the readers on a tour of venues like East of Ryan and the Starlight Lounge; home to artists, such as Jumpin' Willie Cobbs, Willie D, and Harmonica Khan, and tells the stories behind the lives of past pioneers.

The biography of a giant in the history of blues music

The dramatic story of a legendary American composer

Brings together forty years of passionate research by scholar and record label owner. This book provides fans and scholars alike with a guide for immersion in the long career and breathtaking repertoire of two legendary American musicians.

Combining the history of country music's roots with portraits of its primary performers, this work examines the close relationship between "America's truest music" and the working-class culture that has constituted its principal source, nurtured its development, and provided its most dedicated supporters.

Written by an award-winning composer whose music has been performed in the US, Europe, and the Far East, this title combines the whimsical and the treacherous into a chronicle that takes in various things from the KGB to Macy's store windows, Alcatraz to the Beach Boys, Hollywood thrillers to the United Nations, Joseph Stalin to Shirley Temple.

One of the ethnomusicologists takes the reader along for a tour of his workplace.

Offers a comprehensive history of King Records, one of the most influential independent record companies in the history of American music. This book tells the story of a small outsider record company in Cincinnati, Ohio, that attracted an extremely diverse roster of artists, including the Stanley Brothers, Grandpa Jones, Redd Foxx and Earl Bostic.