Composers and Performers

Alison Krauss and Union Station
http://www.alisonkrauss.com/
The official website for this popular bluegrass group. It offers news, tour dates, a discography, a list of awards, biographies of the band’s members, photographs, a FAQ, downloads, videos, and more.

http://video.pbs.org:8080/ramgen/media4/austin/akraussconcert320x240.rm
A video excerpt of the band’s appearance on the PBS television show Austin City Limits.

The Allman Brothers Band
http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/
The official website for this well-known rock group. It offers tour dates, a forum, photographs, pictures, and links to related websites.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allman_Brothers
An article on the band, including its history, a discography, a list of past and current band members, and internal and external links to related articles and websites.

Chet Atkins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chet_Atkins
A biography of this well-known country guitarist, with links to related websites.

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/atkins_chet/artist.jhtml
A website that offers Atkins’ biography, photographs, a list of his albums, and more.
 
The Beatles
http://www.beatles.com/
The official website for this famous rock group, offering a history of the group, a discography and filmography, and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles
An article on the Beatles that includes a history of the groups, a discussion of their influence on music, trivia, audio samples, and many internal and external links to related articles and websites.

Irving Berlin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Berlin
An article on Berlin that includes his biography, trivia, and internal and external links to related articles and websites.

http://parlorsongs.com/bios/berlin/iberlin.asp
A detailed biography of this famous songwriter.

Bill Haley and the Comets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Haley_and_His_Comets
An article on this early rock group, including its history, a list of some of their better-known songs, and internal and external links to related articles and websites.

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BillHaley.html
A detailed biography of Bill Haley, with a list of the many musicians that played in his band, the Comets.

James Bland
http://www.pwcweb.com/d24alions/bland.html
A biography of the well-known 19th-century black songwriter.

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
http://www.texasplayboys.net/
A website dedicated to this well-known Texas Swing band. It includes biographies of Wills and his band members, a bibliography, discussion forum, and links to related websites.

Toni Braxton
http://www.tonibraxtonmusic.com/
The official Toni Braxton website, offering her biography, photographs, a few audio and video samples, and tour dates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Braxton
An article on this well-known R&B singer. It offers her biography, a discussion of some of her albums, a discography and filmography, and both internal and external links to related articles and websites.

James Brown
http://www.godfatherofsoul.com/
The official website for this famous black entertainer. It includes his biography, tour dates, news, photographs, a discography, audio selections, and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown_(musician)
An article on Brown that includes his biography, trivia, a list of top-ten singles, and internal and external links to related articles and websites.

Ray Charles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Charles
A biography of this famous singer that also includes internal and external links to related articles and websites.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1947628
This page offers an audio file of a career retrospective on Charles that was aired on National Public Radio on June 1, 2004. Also on the page is an audio file of twenty of his top hits, as well as links to other related NPR audio files.

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.

Dan Emmett
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibit_home_page.asp?exhibitId=196
A biography of this popular 19th-century songwriter, including a list of his best-known songs.

Stephen Foster
http://www.pitt.edu/~amerimus/foster.htm
A biography of the famous 19th-century American songwriter, including images of his complete sketchbook, a timeline, a FAQ, a genealogy, a list of Foster myths, a complete list of his songs, and more.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/foster/
This informative website accompanies the PBS program on Stephen Foster from their series American Experience. It includes a synopsis and transcript of the show, information on blackface minstrel shows, audio selections, a timeline, images of sheet music of some of Fosters songs, and more.

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.

George Gershwin
http://www.gershwin.com/
The official website of George and Ira Gershwin offers a biography of the brothers, a timeline, information about some of their films and songs, audio samples of their music, a list of events, and a bibliography.

http://www.gershwinfan.com/
This site also offers biographies of the Gershwin brothers, as well as a discography, a discussion forum, photographs, MIDI files of selected songs, and more.

Also see the links for George Gershwin the classical composer in the weblinks for Chapter 14.

Lightnin' Hopkins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_Hopkins
A very short biography of this blues guitarist.

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.

Jerome Kern
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibit_home_page.asp?exhibitId=67
This site offers information on this famous Tin Pan Alley and Broadway composer, including his biography, detailed information on his songs, film scores, and Broadway collaborations, a discography, audio selections, and a list of recommended recordings.

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.

KISS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_%28band%29
An article on this well-known rock band, including its history, a list of current and former band members, a list of recommended reading, and internal and external links to related articles and websites.

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.

Andrew Lloyd Webber
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber
A biography of this famous musical theatre composer, with internal and external links to related articles and websites.

Ethel Merman
http://www.musicals101.com/mermbio.htm
A biography of this well-known Broadway star.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4163306
This page offers an audio file of a segment from the National Public Radio program Fresh Air from WHYY that reviews a new CD Mary Martin and Ethel Merman: Their Ford 50th Anniversary Show Appearance.

Bill Monroe
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~coollz/bill.htm
A concise biography of the famous bluegrass mandolin player, with a discography and song lyrics.

The Nashville Bluegrass Band
http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/nashville_bluegrass_band/artist.jhtml
This website offers information on this popular bluegrass band, including its biography, photographs, a list of their albums, and tour dates.

Cole Porter
http://www.coleporter.org/
This website offers a biography of the famous Tin Pan Alley and Broadway composer, as well as a list of movies containing his music and a list of some recordings of his music.

http://www.geocities.com/porterguide/
Cole Porter’s voluminous output is expertly categorized in this website, with detailed listings for all his Broadway shows, the films he scored, his songs, recordings of his music, and a bibliography.

http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/29/specials/porter.html
This site offers a compilation of Porter-related articles, book reviews, photographs, and audio selections.

Elvis Presley
http://www.elvis.com/
The official Elvis Presley website, with a biography, a list of his gold and platinum albums, information on his mansion, Graceland, a fan club site, downloads, and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley
An article on the famous rock and Gospel singer, including a detailed biography, musical milestones, trivia, and internal and external links to related articles and related websites.

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.

Richard Rodgers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rodgers
A biography of the composer who teamed with both Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II to produce some of the most popular Broadway movies and stage productions of all time.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/rodgers_r.html
A webpage from the PBS series American Masters about the famous Broadway and Tin Pan Alley composer, including an essay about Rodgers, a career timeline, additional video footage of the not included in the original program, and an interview with the filmmaker, Roger Sherman, who produced the American Masters episode, Richard Rodgers: The Sweetest Sounds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/richard-rodgers.shtml
A British Broadcasting Corporation website that offers links to an extended biography of Rodgers and audio files of interviews with Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

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.

Frank Sinatra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra
An article on this famous singer, including his biography, recorded legacy, a discography and filmography, and internal and external links to related articles and websites, including a link to his FBI file.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/profiles/sinatrafrank.shtml
A British Broadcasting Corporation website with a variety of information on Sinatra, including his biography, a discography, audio samples and more.

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.

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 the 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.

Gretchen Wilson
http://www.gretchenwilson.com/
The official website for this country artist offers her biography, tour dates, photographs, and more.

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/wilson_gretchen/artist.jhtml
Another website with information on Wilson, including her biography, photographs, numerous videos, a list of her albums, and tour dates.

Stevie Wonder
http://www.steviewonder.net/
His official website offers a biography of the popular singer, news, several audio and video selections, photographs, tour dates, and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_Wonder
An article on Wonder that includes his biography, a list of his top-ten hits and studio albums, and numerous internal and external links to related articles and websites.

Ziegfeld Follies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziegfeld_Follies
An article on the famous Broadway theatrical revues.

http://www.musicals101.com/ziegfeld.htm
This website offers a compilation of information on Florenz Ziegfeld and the Ziegfeld Follies, including a biography of Ziegfeld, his complete list of productions, a description of each Follies production year-by-year, photographs of some of the famous “Ziegfeld Girls,” and more.

http://parlorsongs.com/issues/2004-1/thismonth/feature.asp
This issue of the eMagazine Parlor Songs offers an in-depth article on Ziegfeld and his Follies.

Musical Styles

Bluegrass
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluegrass_music
An article that offers on overview of this musical style.

Boogie-Woogie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie-woogie_%28music%29
An article on the history of boogie-woogie music.

http://www.history-of-rock.com/boogiewoogie_artists.htm
Another article on boogie-woogie that focuses on the major performers of this piano jazz music.

Broadway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatre
An article that provides an overview of this style of American musical theatre, including a list of the Broadway theatres and the current show playing there, as well as internal and external links to related subjects and websites.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/index.html
This website is offered as an online supplement to Broadway: The American Musical, a film by Michael Kantor that was broadcast on PBS. It includes a wealth of information, including essays on the history of Broadway, profiles of some of the important stars, directors, composers, and other people involved in this art form, an exploration of some of the important milestones, a summary of information on some of the most popular shows, and more.

Cowboy Songs
http://parlorsongs.com/issues/2000-4/2000-4.asp
This installment of the eMagazine Parlor Songs offers the first installment of an article on Cowboy songs, and how many were actually written by Tin Pan Alley composers. This issue includes reproductions of the cover pages of several such songs, descriptions of the songs themselves, and a MIDI file of each. There are also links to other featured articles.

http://parlorsongs.com/insearch/cowboys/cowboys.asp
This following installment of Parlor Songs offers the second installment of this discussion of Cowboy songs, including a look at some of the movie cowboys of era, including Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.

Country Music
http://www.roughstock.com/history/
This website offers a complete history of country music, with audio examples.

Hillbilly Music
http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7E1930s/RADIO/c_w/essay1.html
An essay on hillbilly music on the radio in the 1920’s and 30’s.

Hip-Hop
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music
This article offers a history of hip-hop music, its structure, its instrumentation and production, its social and musical impacts, numerous audio examples, and external links to related websites.

Minstrel Show
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/foster/sfeature/sf_minstrelsy.html
A FAQ on blackface minstrelsy, presented as part of the PBS American Experience episode on Stephen Foster.

Motown
http://www.motown.com/
This is the official website for Universal Motown Records Group, and consists of two parts: Motown Now and Classic Motown. Both offer a variety of information on Motown artists and music. The site is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motown
An article that offers a history of this important recording company, including audio samples, a list of their artists from the 1950’s to the present, and more.

New Age
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age_music
An article on new age music, including its history, themes, and significance, as well as internal and external links to related articles and websites.

http://www.hos.com/simple.html
Another article that seeks to explain new age music and its subgenres.

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.

Rockabilly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockabilly
An article on rockabilly and its place as “earliest form of rock and roll.”

Tin Pan Alley
http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/biology/lewis/crosby/tinpan.htm
Offers a history of this popular music tradition, including information on many of the great Tin Pan Alley songwriters.

http://parlorsongs.com/insearch/tinpanalley/tinpanalley.asp
A history of Tin Pan Alley

Vaudeville
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vshtml/vshome.html
The website for the Library of Congress American Memory online exhibit, American Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment 1870-1920. It includes many audio and video selections from the period.

http://www.musicals101.com/vaude1.htm
An in-depth history of vaudeville, with links to short biographies of some of the important musicians.

Western Swing
http://www.dumboozle.com/western/westdex.html
An illustrated history of Western Swing.

http://nfo.net/usa/weswing.html
A survey of Western Swing bands that were popular from the 1930’s to 1950”s.

Other

American Bandstand
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/A/htmlA/americanband/americanband.htm
A history of this popular showcase for rock-and-roll dance music.

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.

Grand Ole Opry
http://www.opry.com/
The official website for this long-running showcase for country music. It offers a schedule of events, news, an illustrated history of the program, and more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ole_Opry
An article on the history of the Grand Ole Opry, with internal and external links to related articles and websites.

The Jazz Singer
http://www.filmsite.org/jazz.html
A detailed history of this important film, one of the first to have a synchronized sound track.

Rock Around the Clock
http://www.rockabillyhall.com/RockClockTribute.html
A tribute to the first rock hit song, recorded by Bill Haley and the Comets.