American Popular Music

Coauthored by a music historian and an ethnomusicologist, American Popular Music provides an overview of the major styles of popular music and the evolving relationship between music and American culture from the late 19th century to the early 1990s. Organized historically, the book is unified by several recurrent themes: the development of critical listening skills; the multicultural roots of popular styles; the relationship between music and social identity; the influence of technology on music; and the structure and function of the music industry. Combining a graceful and accessible style with sound research and cultural awareness, American Popular Music identifies, through historical narrative and musical examples, the broad themes and on-going issues in the development of popular style and culture. Lavishly produced and stunningly designed with over 100 illustrations, the book includes numerous boxed inserts and sidebars, biographical sketches, and listening charts and lyrics.