Performers and Composers

Joan Baez
http://www.joanbaez.com/
The official website for this well-known folk singer. It includes a biography, discography, song lyrics, photographs, and more.

Steven Curtis Chapman
http://www.scchapman.com/
The official website for this contemporary Christian artist. It offers a biography, a discography, photographs, audio excerpts, wallpaper and other downloads, and more.

The Chuck Wagon Gang
http://www.musicweb-international.com/encyclopaedia/c/C132.HTM
A history of this country gospel quartet.

Sam Cooke
http://www.samcooke.com/
The official website for this well-known Gospel and soul music singer. It provides a biography, discography, photographs, and more.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/profiles/cookesam.shtml
A website of the British Broadcasting Corporation, it offers a biography and discography of the artist, as well as a list of recommended albums and two audio samples.

Dare to Breathe
http://www.daretobreathe.com/
The official website of this Minnesota-based a cappella ensemble. It offers a short biography of each of the group's members, audio samples, links, and more.

Thomas A. Dorsey
http://www.chicagohs.org/AOTM/feb00/feb00fact1.html
Offers an illustrated biography of Thomas A. Dorsey, the "Father of Gospel Music"; as well as audio clips of Dorsey's music and an interview with the writer Studs Terkel.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1357001
This page offers an audio file of a segment from National Public Radio's All Things Considered focusing on Thomas Dorsey. There is also a link to another NPR page that describes the series Honky Tonks, Hymns and the Blues, of which the above segment is an installment.

Bob Dylan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan
An article about this famous folk singer.

http://www.emplive.org/visit/galleries/dylan.asp
This site offers numerous audio and video files related Dylan, including discussions about him and samples of his music.

Edwin Hawkins Singers
http://www.edwinhawkins.tv/index.htm
This website focuses on the gospel choir leader Edwin Hawkins directing the "Music & Arts Love Fellowship Conference Mass Choir." It offers a biography of Hawkins, two videos of him leading the choir, and more. NOTE: The videos require a broadband connection.

Ella Fitzgerald
http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/
Ella Fitzgerald was one of the celebrated female jazz singers of the twentieth century. Her official website offers her biography, photographs, audio samples, downloads, and more.

http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_fitzgerald_ella.htm
This page is part of the PBS website for Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns, and offers a biography of the singer, as well as an audio profile and an audio discussion of one of her albums.

Aretha Franklin
http://www.sodamnhappy.com/
Aretha Franklin's official website offers her biography, photographs, song lyrics, downloads, and a forum.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/franklin_a.html
This page, part of the website for the PBS series Modern Masters, offers a biography of this famous soul music singer. It also offers links to additional information at other sites.

Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers
http://www.1001tunes.com/fiddlers/gidtanner.html
This webpage offers a short history of Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers, as well as a discography.

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/TheArts/Music/CountryandFolk-2/IndividualArtistsandMusicalGroup-1&id=h-917
Offers a longer biography of this old-time music group.

Arlo Guthrie
http://www.arlo.net/
The official website for this popular folk singer offers his biography, a discography, videography, song lyrics, photographs, his performance schedule, discussion forum, and more.

http://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/pbs_arm_oralh_arloguthrie.html
Transcript of an oral history from Arlo Guthrie as part of the 2001 PBS program, American Roots Music.

Woody Guthrie
http://www.woodyguthrie.org/
The official website of the famous folk guitarist, including his biography, lyrics to his songs, news and events, and more.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wwghtml/
Library of Congress homepage for the American Memory project, Woody Guthrie and the Archive of American Folk Song: Correspondence, 1940-1950. In addition to the correspondence, this site also offers an illustrated biography and timeline of Guthrie.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7E1930s/RADIO/woody/introframe.html
An in-depth study of this famous musician.

John Hammond Jr.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/hammond_john_jr_/artist.jhtml
A VH1 website with information about this well-known blues musician. It includes a concise biography and a discography.

Tremaine Hawkins
http://www.delafont.com/music_acts/tramaine-hawkins.htm
A biography of this popular Gospel singer.

Jimi Hendrix
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix
A more extended biography of Hendrix, it also includes a list of his guitars and other equipment, a discography, and external links, including one to his complete FBI file.

Billie Holiday
http://www.cmgww.com/music/holiday/
The official Billie Holiday website offers a short biography and career summary, photographs,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday
Offers a longer biography of this famous jazz singer, as well as two audio samples of her singing.

http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_holiday_billie.htm
Another biography of Holiday, this as part of the PBS website for Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns. A number of audio files are provided, consisting both of her performances and of interviews with those who knew her.

Howlin' Wolf
http://www.furious.com/perfect/wolf/
A website dedicated to this blues singer. It offers two biographies and other articles, a discography, photographs, song lyrics, and more.

http://www.novia.net/~cedmunds/index.html
Another website dedicated to Howlin' Wolf, offering a biography, extensive discography and bibliography, song lyrics, and stories about the blues singer.

Mahalia Jackson
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Mahalia%20Jackson.html
A biography of the famous Gospel singer.

Etta James
http://www.etta-james.com/index.html
The official website for this popular blues singer, it offers her biography, discography, and tour dates, as well as a number of audio samples.

Elton John
http://www.eltonjohn.com/
This famous pop singer's official site offers a variety of information, including current news and tour dates, audio and video recordings, and more. However, many parts of the site are only accessible to members of Rocket, the Elton John fan club. A high-speed internet connection is recommended.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John
An article about Elton John that includes an illustrated biography, a list of his current and former band members, and both internal and external links to related articles and websites.

B.B. King
http://www.bbking.com/
The official website for this famous blues guitarist features his biography, discography, tour dates, photographs, links, and more.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4858654
This page offers an audio segment on King that was broadcast on the PBS program News & Notes with Ed Gordon on September 22, 2005. Also offered on this page are two audio files of King performing and links to additional audio features on this blues legend.

Kingston Trio
http://www.kingstontrio.com/
The official website for this popular urban folk group. It offers a history of the trio, biographies of the three members, a discography, photographs, a current tour schedule, links to related websites, audio files, and an online store offering recordings and memorabilia.

http://phoenix.about.com/cs/famous/a/kingston01.htm
An interview with Bob Shane, one of the members of the Kingston Trio, with links to related articles and websites.

Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly)
http://www.rykodisc.com/Catalog/CatalogArtist_01.asp?Action=Get&Artist_ID=219
Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, was a blues singer whose talents were first discovered while he was incarcerated at the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana, and who went on to record a number of albums of blues and folk music. This site offers his biography, as well as descriptions of three recorded collections of his music.

Little Richard
http://www.kolumbus.fi/timrei/lre.htm
A fan site dedicated to the famous rock-and-roll singer, offering a biography, news, song lyrics, photographs, a discography and videography, links to related websites, and more.

Lowell Mason
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/m/a/s/mason_l.htm
A brief biography of this important hymn composer and music educator. It includes links to MIDI files of many of his hymns.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell_Mason
An article on Mason that includes an assessment of his work.

Willie Nelson
http://www.willienelson.com/
Willie Nelson's official website, offering a brief biography, a listing of tour dates, photographs, news, a fan club site, and an online store.

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/nelson_willie/artist.jhtml
Offers a longer biography, audio and video selections, photographs, tour dates, and more.

John Newton
http://www.texasfasola.org/biographies/johnnewton.html
A biography of the man who wrote the texts of many hymns, including the one that has come to be known as Amazing Grace.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/n/e/newton_j.htm
Another, brief biography of Newton, with a list of the many hymns with his texts. Several of the hymns listed also have associated MIDI files.

http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cnm/htmlpages/newton1.html
A much more extensive biography of this hymn writer.

Peter, Paul and Mary
http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/
The official website for this folk group, including a history of the group, a discography and videography, song lyrics, guitar chording, song lyrics, tour information, photographs, biographies of the members of the group, and more.

Ma Rainey
http://www.redhotjazz.com/rainey.html
Contains a short biography of this famous blues singer, along with a wide selection of audio files of her recordings.

Daniel Read
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Read
A biography of this hymn composer, with an example of one of his more popular hymns and a link to another site with MIDI files of some of his better-known hymns.

Jean Ritchie
http://www.ket.org/mountainborn/
A website from Kentucky Educational Television for the program Mountain Born: The Jean Ritchie Story, which offers her biography, a timeline, a partial discography, a bibliography, information on Appalachian music and the lap dulcimer, and more.

http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/Heritage02/Ritchie2.html
An interview with Jean Ritchie in conjunction with her award of a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2002.

The Robert Cray Band
http://www.robertcray.com/entry.php
The official website for the Robert Cray Band, a contemporary blues-rock group. The site offers a timeline of the band, a discography, and more.

The Rolling Stones
http://www.rollingstones.com/home.php
The official site for this famous rock band, it offers a biography of the band, audio files, news, tour information, and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones
An article on the band, with a more extensive biography, a list of current and former band members, and both internal and external links to related articles and websites.

Pete Seeger
http://www.peteseeger.net/
This website is described as the "Pete Seeger Appreciation Page," and includes a variety of information about this famous folk musician. Visitors will find his biography, discography, videography, bibliography, song, photographs, articles, and more.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4726633
This page provides a link to an audio file of an interview with Pete Seeger that was originally broadcast on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition on July 2, 2005. Also on this page are links to other NPR broadcasts about Seeger.

Ricky Van Shelton
http://www.rickyvanshelton.com/
The country guitarist's official website, with his biography, discography, tour dates, audio samples, and more.

Simon and Garfunkel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_and_Garfunkel
An article about this well-known pop music duo during the 1960's, it offers a history of the pair, a discography, a list of their singles, and internal and external links to related articles and websites, including links to Paul Simon's and Art Garfunkel's individual websites.

Bessie Smith
http://www.redhotjazz.com/bessie.html
Offers a brief biography of this early blues singer, as well as numerous audio files of her singing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Smith
A longer biography of Bessie Smith.

Bruce Springsteen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen
An article on this popular rock artist that includes a detailed biography, a list of current and former band members in his E Street Band, sample audio files (in .ogg format, which may require a player such as VLC, which can be downloaded at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/), a list of awards, a bibliography, and internal and external links to related articles and websites.

http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/springsteen_bruce/artist.jhtml
A website that offers Springsteen's biography, photographs, numerous videos, news, a list of albums, and more.

Sarah Vaughan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/profiles/vaughansarah.shtml
Offers a profile of this famous jazz singer, including her biography, a discography, audio selections, and links to other related websites.

http://www.downbeat.com/artists/window.asp?aid=505&aname=Sarah+Vaughan
This site offers a biography, a discography, two articles on the Vaughan, and photographs.

Aaron T. ("T-bone") Walker
http://www.batesmeyer.com/tbone/
A biography of the blues guitarist, with a short discography and list of songs.

http://blues.about.com/cs/halloffame/p/blprotbone.htm
Another biography of Walker, with several audio samples and links to related articles and websites.

Muddy Waters
http://www.muddywaters.com/
Muddy Waters' official website, offering his biography, photographs, discography, videography, audio samples, and more.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/waters_m.html
A webpage from the PBS series, American Masters, about the blues guitarist, including an essay about Waters, a career timeline, additional video footage of the not included in the original program, and an interview with the filmmaker, Robert Gordon, who produced the American Masters episode, Muddy Waters: Can't Be Satisfied.

Musical Styles

Appalachian and OzarkMountain Music
http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/appalach.htm
A history of Appalachian folk music from a British perspective.

http://www.oldtimemusic.com/otdef.html
An article describing old-time (Appalachian) music.

Broadsides
http://www.contemplator.com/history/broadside.html
A short history of broadside ballads, with links to related sites.

http://www.broadsideballads.gallowayfolk.co.uk/index.htm
A very informative website with an introduction to this collection, excellent articles on broadsides and the oral tradition (click on "Broadsides & Oral Trad.") and how broadsides were published, sold, purchased and sung, and a selection of audio files of performances of some of these ballads.

Folk Music
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_music
An excellent overview of folk music, including its decline in modern societies, scholarship efforts, revivals, and how it has often blended with pop music. It also offers many internal and external links to related articles and websites.

Gospel Music
http://www.dovesong.com/Positive_music/archives/gospel/Gospel.asp
This website currently offers several worthwhile articles on traditional black Gospel music, with future articles planned for traditional mountain Gospel and traditional southern Gospel as well. The site also offers a number of audio files of music in all three areas.

http://gospelhighway.50megs.com/GOSPEL/gospelindex.htm
For an in-depth look at the history of black Gospel music, this site is among the best, covering the range from spirituals to contemporary gospel.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4766085
This page offers a segment from National Public Radio's News & Notes with Ed Gordon that was broadcast on July 22, 2005. It discusses the 50th anniversary of the Great Shrine Auditorium Concert in Columbus, Ohio, and how it has influenced later gospel and secular music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_music
This article provides an overview of Gospel music, with discussions of both black and white Gospel styles. There is also a good selection of links to related websites.

Klezmer Music
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klezmer
An article that provides an informative introduction to klezmer music, including its history, song types, musical aspects, important musicians and ensembles, and numerous internal and external links to related articles and websites.

Psalm Singing
http://www.laudemont.org/a-stp.htm
This page offers an article that provides an excellent history of psalm singing from early Christian times to the present.

http://www.freechurch.org/crown4.html
Another, more in-depth article on the history of church music, with attention paid to psalmody.

Rhythm and Blues (R&B)
http://www.rhythmandtheblues.org.uk/
An excellent site that offers a wide variety of information on R&B, including a detailed history, biographies of many major R&B artists, history of some of the important record companies that records this music, reviews of recordings and R&B-related books, editorials, news, links, and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_and_blues
An article on R&B covering the history of both "original" and contemporary R&B.

Spirituals
http://ctl.du.edu/spirituals/
A comprehensive website that examines the history of spirituals in detail, illustrated with audio examples. Note that this site makes heavy use of the Flash Player.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_(music)
A concise article on spirituals, including several sample audio files and a list of links to related websites.

Tex-Mex
http://www.accordions.com/index/art/tex_mex.shtml
An article on the history of Tex-Mex music and the central role of the accordion in it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex-Mex_and_Tejano
An article that provides an overview of Tex-Mex (Tejano) music.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/benson/border/arhoolie2/raices.html
Another article documenting the beginnings of Tex-Mex music, with accompanying audio files.

Organizations and Festivals

Alabama Sacred Harp Convention
http://www.rootsworld.com/rw/feature/sacred-harp.html
A review of recordings of Sacred Harp singing, including the CD, Alabama Sacred Harp Singers: Sacred Harp Singing.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1534280
This page offers an audio file of a segment from National Public Radio's All Things Considered that focuses on Sacred Harp singing in Alabama, as well as a photo gallery of some of the singers taking part, four audio files of individual songs being performed, and links to other Sacred-Harp-related NPR stories.

Gospel Music Association
http://www.gospelmusic.org/
This site offers information about the Gospel music industry, including news, profiles of performers, producers, and others, tour schedules of member individuals and groups, a Hall of Fame, and the GMA (formerly Dove) awards.

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
http://www.nojazzfest.com/
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is an annual event that draws major jazz artists from around the U.S. and beyond. The Festival's site offers a schedule of events, information on hotels and food, photographs from past festivals, a history of the festival, and more.

Newport Folk Festival
http://www.newportfolk.com/
An annual festival of folk music that began in 1959. The website offers a schedule of events, ticket information, and more.

San Francisco Blues Festival
http://www.sfblues.com/
The San Francisco Blues Festival is an annual event, drawing major blues artists from all over the U.S. The festival's website offers a list of performers, a schedule of events, photographs from previous festivals, an archive of past festivals, and more.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
http://www.folklife.si.edu/center/festival.html
This annual festival showcases folk and ethnic music from around the U.S. From this page, click on the link to the year desired for a schedule of featured themes, schedule of events, a festival map, and more.

Hymnals and Songs

Amazing Grace
http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cnm/htmlpages/bulletinsample/amazinggrace.html
An article on the history of this famous hymn.

http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cnm/htmlpages/amazing.html
Another article on this hymn's origin.

Barbara Allen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonny_Barbara_Allen
An article on this folk song.

http://www.etni.org.il/music/barbaraallen.htm
Another article on this folk song, showing the possible original lyrics (with some modern translations), as well as versions recorded by Joan Baez and Art Garfunkel.

Bay Psalm Book
http://www.cgmusic.com/workshop/baypsalm_frame.htm
The Bay Psalm Book was the first book either completely written or published in the American colonies. This site offers its history and impact, as well as examples of its metric versions of the psalms, cross-referenced to hymn tunes in the appropriate metrification.

The Sacred Harp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Harp
The Sacred Harp hymnal has become the basis for a particular style of hymn singing. This article traces the development of this style, as well as the role that The Sacred Harp has in it.

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/collections/index.cfm?action=view&TitleID=610&Format=jpg
A digitized copy of the 1860 edition of this important hymnal.

Singing Schools
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_school
A history of singing schools, along with a list of important singing masters, and links to related websites.

Southern Harmony
http://www.ccel.org/s/southern_harmony/
A digitized copy of this important 19th-century hymnal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Harmony
An article about this hymnal and its history, along with links to related websites.

Other

Billboard Magazine
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/index.jsp
Billboard Magazine tracks the popularity of numerous musical styles, offers reviews of recent recordings and information on artists, and more.

The Fasola & Shape Note Systems
http://www.fasola.org/
The Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association exists to preserve and perpetuate Sacred Harp singing. Their website offers a wealth of information (some of which is through external links), including beginner's guides, information on purchasing a copy of the 1991 edition of The Sacred Harp, a directory of state and local Sacred Harp organizations and singings, historical information, and links to personal sites.