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Oculus Magazine: Early Jazz
Written for an audience accustomed to rock, this is a good history of Jazz, from the late 1800's, when the form supposedly took shape, to recommended recordings and books.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Lesson 45: Democracy Not Yet!
The following lesson uses the lyrics of four popular songs (songs that were commonly sung or played) to stimulate critical thought and discussion of what is right or wrong with American democracy.
The Washington Post
The Washington Post: "The History of Jazz," Chapter 1
This site offers the first chapter of Ted Gioia's book, "The History of Jazz." This chapter focuses on the prehistory of jazz, including the Africanization of American music, country blues and classic blues, and Scott Joplin and Ragtime.
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Jamaican Americans
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Jamaican Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Black Past
Black Past: Rap/hip Hop
This encyclopedia entry gives a brief history of rap and hip hop and the influences of the music on modern culture.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: American Culture in the 1920s
The First World War had a crippling effect on any notions of positivity in the artists, writers, and intellectuals of that time and they became known as the Lost Generation. This page discusses this group of people, the emergence of jazz...
PBS
Pbs: The Story of Jazz
A supplement to a ten-part film series on jazz, this resource describes the growth and development of jazz music from the gritty streets of New Orleans to the Lincoln Gardens on Chicago's south side, where Louis Armstrong first won fame,...
Digital History
Digital History: Avant Garde
Synopsis of the huge cultural shifts that occurred in America in the 1920s in art, music, literature, and among intelligentsia.
Other
Parlor Songs Academy: Music as Propaganda in World War I
Scroll through the history of the use of popular music as propaganda until reaching the lengthy section about how music was used, not just in the United States, but throughout the world as propaganda in World War I. Find the lyrics and...
Library of Congress
Loc: An American Ballroom Companion:dance Instruction Manuals (1490 1920)
The Library of Congress has over 200 original dance manuals from 1490 to 1920. This resource includes essays and treatises on etiquette, dance theory and history, theatrical dance, music for the dance, and more.
PBS
Pbs: Independent Lens: Strange Fruit, the Film
Website on Strange Fruit, a documentary film about the history and legacy of the protest song "Strange Fruit." Includes the lyrics and audio for the song.
Library of Congress
Loc: Sheet Music About Civil War
This resource provides more than 200 sheet music compositions that represent Lincoln, the Civil War and the times. Compiled by the greatest private collector of Lincoln material, Alfred Whital Stern.
A&E Television
History.com: Why the Watershed 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival Was Overshadowed for 50 Years
The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival brought over 300,000 people to Harlem's 20-acre Mount Morris Park from June 29 to August 24, 1969 against a backdrop of enormous political, cultural and social change in the United States. The summer...
A&E Television
History.com: Tailgating: How the Pre Game Tradition Can Be Traced to Ancient Times
The ritual grew as ownership of automobiles and then mass production of portable grills and plastic coolers soared. Tailgating before college and professional football games is an American tradition. Temporary tent cities pop up in...
Contemplator
Popular Songs in American History: Rosalie, the Prairie Flower
This page presents the lyrics to a famous folk song of the nineteenth century.
Other
Black Gospel Music: The History of Gospel Music
This site explores the history of Gospel music, including how gospel music began and some of the various incarnations it has gone through.
Digital History
Digital History: The Birth of American Popular Culture
A description of many different forms of popular culture in the first half of the 19th century ranging from sensationalized newspapers to dime novels to pseudoscience. Read about Stephen Foster's music, theatrical productions, and even...
Library of Congress
Loc: Performing Arts Encyclopedia: Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Did you know that the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is over one hundred years old? Find out why this song has enjoyed lasting popularity. Includes an image of the artwork for the sheet music of this song.
Black Past
Black Past: Queen Latifah
This encyclopedia entry extols Queen Latifah as the most influential female rap singer. You can read about her evolution as a rap singer and actress.
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Sioux
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of the Sioux, a Native American tribe. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Duke Ellington
Biography of Duke Ellington, one of the originators of big band jazz, and a noted composer.
Other
Oxford University Press: Lorenz Hart a Poet on Broadway
A look at the great American lyric writer, Lorenz Hart. The article is a review of a book which talks about his impact on American theater and music.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Will Smith
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Will Smith, an American actor and musician whose charisma, clean-cut good looks, and quick wit helped him transition from rap music to a successful career in acting.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Etta Baker
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Etta Baker, an American folk musician who influenced the folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s with her mastery of East Coast Piedmont blues, a unique fingerpicking style of...
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