Sources for Genre and Musical Style

Resources for Researching the Power Point Presentation (Genre and Style of Musical Performance)

The following websites may be of help in researching your artist's genre and style of musical performance (note that I do not update the following sites each quarter, which means some of them may faulty links):

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.