Bøger i Music in American Life serien

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

"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"--

Traces the life, influences on fellow musicians, and struggles of a pioneer among American composers who turned to the island of Bali for inspiration. Presenting an unconventional life, this title is designed for scholars, musicians or those interested in 20th century American or Balinese music.

'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.

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 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.

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

The biography of a giant in the history of blues music

The dramatic story of a legendary American composer

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.

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