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The story of American popular music is steeped in social history, race, gender and class, its evolution driven by ephemeral connection to young audiences. From Benny Goodman to Sinatra to Elvis Presley to the Beatles, pop icons age out of the art form while new musical styles pass from relevance to nostalgia within a few years. At the same time, perennial forms like blues, jazz and folk are continually rediscovered by new audiences.
This book traces the development of American music from its African roots to the juke joint, club and concert hall, revealing a culture perpetually reinventing itself to suit the next generation.
List of contents
Table of ContentsPreface
Prologue: Music for a Pandemic
¿1.¿How We Listen
¿2.¿Listen Up, Africa!
¿3.¿Framing a Jazz and Blues Century
¿4.¿The South, Elvis, and the Dawning of Rock and Roll
¿5.¿Say It Loud: Black Music in the 1960s
¿6.¿Bob Dylan and the American Voice
¿7.¿Beatles, Stones, and Cultural Amnesia
¿8.¿Pistols at Dawn: Janis, Jim, and Jimi
¿9.¿Rebels: The Authentic Lives of Women in Music
10.¿No Time to Get Cute in the '70s
11.¿Post-Authentic World: Your CEO Rock Star
12.¿The Music and Art Spirit
Epilogue
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Brian Q. Torff is a bassist, composer, arranger, and a professor of music at Fairfield University in Connecticut.
Summary
Traces the development of American music from its African roots to the juke joint, club and concert hall, revealing a culture perpetually reinventing itself to suit the next generation.
