Who should sing Ol' man river?

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Harvey Sheldon

"Harvey Sheldon music historian presents the Golden Age of Pop Music, collection of documented stories featuring big swing bands and the greatest pop stars and love songs of the 30's, 40's, 50's and classic gems from the early 60's. This was an era of incredible stars, fantastic voices, beautiful harmonies, and magical melodies. It was the music we'll always remember -- it was the Golden Age of Pop Music! This collection of historical biographies and history features the true legends of this era -- Al Jolson, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Perry Como, and Johnny Mathis, Vic Damone, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, Nat King Cole, The Mills Brothers, Al Martino, to name a few. The big swing bands of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Ray Anthony, Les Brown, Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, Billy May, Stan Kenton, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Neal Hefti and lots more. Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, and the cast of Your Hit Parade. Many artists made their mark with pop standards, particularly interpreters like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Vie Damone, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis, Jr., Mel Tonne, Sarah Vaughan, Eydie Gorme, Andy Williams, Nancy Wilson, Jack Jones, Steve Lawrence, Billy Eckstine, Al Jolson, Nat King Cole, and Perry Como. Bring the nostalgia of the Golden Age Of Pop Music and the magical charisma of its performers and the history of authentic of The Golden Age of Pop Music!"--P. [4] of cover.

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Lynn Abbott and Doug Seroff

A landmark study, based on thousands of music-related references mined by the authors from a variety of contemporaneous sources, especially African American community newspapers, Out of Sight examines musical personalities, issues, and events in context. It confronts the inescapable marketplace concessions musicians made to the period's prevailing racist sentiment. --from publisher description.

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William H.A. Williams

The image of the Irish in the United States changed drastically over time, from that of hard-drinking, rioting Paddies to genial, patriotic working-class citizens. In 'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream, William H. A. Williams traces the change in this image through more than seven hundred pieces of sheet music - popular songs from the stage and for the parlor - to show how Americans' opinions of Ireland and the Irish went practically from one extreme to the other. Because sheet music was a commercial item it had to be acceptable to the broadest possible song-buying public. "Negotiations" about their image involved Irish songwriters, performers, and pressured groups, on the one hand, and non-Irish writers, publishers, and audiences, on the other. Williams ties the contents of song lyrics to the history of the Irish diaspora, suggesting how ethnic stereotypes are created and how they evolve within commercial popular culture.

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David Brackett

"Tracing the diverse streams of American popular music from the 1920s to the present, The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates addresses such questions as: How did the musicians who made the music explain it? Who listened to popular music and why? What was the major impression made by it on society at large? Why do some types of popular music still matter today?" "In this richly textured and chronologically organized anthology, well-known scholar David Brackett brings together more than 100 readings from a diverse range of sources and by writers who have played an integral part in the development of popular music criticism. He includes articles from mainstream and specialized magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers, as well as interviews and autobiographies of musicians and other music industry insiders. Representing a wide variety of time periods, styles, and genres--and including groundbreaking criticism on disco, hip-hop, rap, and techno--the selections introduce students to important social and cultural issues raised by the study of popular music. Topics covered include the role of race, class conflict, gender roles, regional differences in the reception of popular music, and the relative value of artistry versus commerce. Extensive editorial introductions and headnotes supply context for the selections, provide links between different eras and genres, clarify the issues raised by the documents, and explain their historical significance. An ideal text for courses in popular music history, The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates will also be of interest in courses on American music, American studies, media studies, history, and sociology."--Jacket.