Popular music Books

Book SynopsisAlan Lomax (1915-2002) began working for the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress in 1936, first as a special and temporary assistant, then as the permanent Assistant in Charge, starting in June 1937, until he left in late 1942. He recorded such important musicians as Woody Guthrie, Muddy Waters, Aunt Molly Jackson, and Jelly Roll Morton. A reading and examination of his letters from 1935 to 1945 reveal someone who led an extremely complex, fascinating, and creative life, mostly as a public employee. While Lomax is noted for his field recordings, these collected letters, many signed ""Alan Lomax, Assistant in Charge,"" are a trove of information until now available only at the Library of Congress. They make it clear that Lomax was very interested in the commercial hillbilly, race, and even popular recordings of the 1920s and after. These letters serve as a way of understanding Lomax's public and private life during some of his most productive and significant years. Lomax was one of the most stimulating and influential cultural workers of the twentieth century. Here he speaks for himself through his voluminous correspondence.

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Book SynopsisThe 306: Dawn is a new piece of music theatre from the National Theatre of Scotland. Based on real events, it charts the heart-breaking journey of three of the three hundred and six British soldiers who were executed for cowardice, desertion and mutiny during World War I (1914-18). 'You are a fucking coward and you will go to the trenches. I give fuck all for my life and I give fuck all for yours and I’ll get you fucking well shot' – Sergeant to Harry Farr. Joseph Byers (17) from Glasgow. Too young to enlist, Joe, like so many at the time, has lied about his age to join the other men at the front. However, his dreams of being a solider are quickly destroyed by the brutal realities of trench warfare and he soon finds himself in trouble with the authorities. Private Harry Farr (25) from London. Traumatised by the things he has seen and lived through as a serving soldier, Harry is suffering from shell shock and is now unable to fight. He has subsequently been convicted of cowardice, and as he waits to hear his fate, he dreams of his wife and hopes for a last minute reprieve. Lance-Sergeant Joseph Willie Stones (24) from Durham. Having used his rifle to block the entrance to a trench during fierce fighting, Joseph stands accused of casting away his arms in combat - an offence punishable by death. He thought he was protecting his men, but the top brass want to make an example of him to maintain discipline in the ranks. With a contemporary score performed live by the Red Note Ensemble, the songs explore the vulnerability and devastation of the battlefields, alongside the inner struggles of the men. Poignant and powerful, The 306: Dawn will be performed in a transformed barn in the Perthshire countryside.Trade ReviewBrilliantly interweaves the everyday with the extraordinary * The Times *

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Book SynopsisA History of American Popular Music helps readers become more discerning consumers of American popular music through the study of its fascinating history. The text underscores the increased enjoyment and inherent discovery of new music styles and artists when one learns how to describe, analyze, and deconstruct music. Students are encouraged to learn about various facets of music, and as such, broaden their musical interests.Opening chapters examine the origins of American popular music with emphasis on its roots, including discussions of the important role of music in African culture, the development of the blues, Black minstrelsy, and white appropriation. Additional chapters address music in post-Civil War America, African American music in the early 20th century, the rise of big bands, bop jazz, rhythm and blues, country and western, rockabilly, and rock and roll. Closing chapters speak to how The Beatles changed the landscape of popular music worldwide and how pop music progressed after The Beatles. An appendix lists icons of American popular music by decade.Developed to help readers become more knowledgeable about the music they listen to on a daily basis, A History of American Popular Music is an ideal resource for courses in music appreciation and the history of American popular music.

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Book SynopsisMusicians and music scholars rightly focus on the sounds of the blues and the colorful life stories of blues performers. Equally important and, until now, inadequately studied are the lyrics. The international contributors to Nobody Knows Where the Blues Come From explore this aspect of the blues and establish the significance of African American popular song as a neglected form of oral history. ""High Water Everywhere: Blues and Gospel Commentary on the 1927 Mississippi River Flood,"" by David Evans, is the definitive study of songs about one of the greatest natural disasters in the history of the United States. In ""Death by Fire: African American Popular Music on the Natchez Rhythm Club Fire,"" Luigi Monge analyzes a continuum of songs about exclusively African American tragedy. ""Lookin' for the Bully: An Enquiry into a Song and Its Story,"" by Paul Oliver traces the origins and the many avatars of the Bully song. In ""That Dry Creek Eaton Clan: A North Mississippi Murder Ballad of the 1930s,"" Tom Freeland and Chris Smith study a ballad recorded in 1939 by a black convict at Parchman prison farm. ""Coolidge's Blues: African American Blues from the Roaring Twenties"" is Guido van Rijn's survey of blues of that decade. Robert Springer's ""On the Electronic Trail of Blues Formulas"" presents a number of conclusions about the spread of patterns in blues narratives. In ""West Indies Blues: An Historical Overview 1920s-1950s,"" John Cowley turns his attention to West Indian songs produced on the American mainland. Finally, in ""Ethel Waters: 'Long, Lean, Lanky Mama,'"" Randall Cherry reappraises the early career of this blues and vaudeville singer. Robert Springer is a professor of English at the University of Metz in Longeville les Metz, France. Among other works, he is the author of Authentic Blues: Its History and Its Themes and the editor of The Lyrics in African American Popular Music.

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