From Booklist
The eight-volume
American Popular Music set includes more than 1,400 entries for musical artists, styles, events, and terms relating to music genres.
Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop is the volume examined for this review (other volumes cover classical music, country music, folk music, and jazz, and the final volume is a comprehensive index). Entries vary in length from one or two paragraphs to several pages, with most being of the shorter variety. Each musician's entry includes name, birth and death dates, musical role, and biographical information. There are also entries for styles and other related topics, for example,
Censorship. Recent artists, such as young producer Puff Daddy (with a cross-reference from
Diddy, his most recent name change), are included. Various appendixes--a chronology, a glossary of terms, and a bibliography--follow the
A-Z entries in the volume. Although the volume is relatively short, it could be useful for libraries that do not have an extensive music reference collection.
Steven YorkCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Product Description
Influenced by the blues as well as West African and African-American sounds, rhythm and blues, rap, and hip-hop have become popular and influential forms of music around the world. Featuring soulful lyrics, hard-driving beats, and infectious rhythms, these genres form a rich branch of America's musical culture. From artists such as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to LL Cool J and Dr. Dre, the performers who pioneered and perfected these musical forms have become household names. "Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop" explores the characteristics and importance of each of these types of music and its history and evolution. This in-depth volume combines 52 photographs, a glossary, discography, and chronology to create an ideal go-to reference for music lovers everywhere. The entries include: Herb Abramson; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Doo wop; Dr. Dre; Earth, Wind, and Fire; Eminem; Aretha Franklin; Funk; Marvin Gaye; The Isley Brothers; Etta James; Little Richard; LL Cool J; The Memphis Horns; Motown; Teddy Pendergrass; Otis Redding; Tupac Shakur; Sugarhill Gang; Donna Summer; Luther Vandross; and many others.
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