Popular Music and Jazz Research Guide

Arts Library, UCSB

Below are some selected starting points for finding information on popular music and jazz in the UCSB Music Library, located on the second floor of the Arts Library. For assistance in using these or other resources, please ask at the Music Service Desk, or contact the music librarian, Eunice Schroeder, 893-3612.

Note: To access electronic resources having the icon from off-campus, you must be affiliated with UCSB (student, faculty, or staff), and you must configure your browser to connect to the library's proxy server.

Pegasus, UCSB's online library catalog, contains bibliographic records for books, scores, sound recordings, videos, periodicals, and other materials held by the UCSB Libraries. You can access Pegasus from the library's homepage. To being research on popular music, choose Subject begins with ... from the pulldown menu and try Library of Congress subject headings such as the following:

bluegrass music	gospel music	rhythm and blues music
blues music	karaoke	rock music
country music	klezmer music	salsa
doo-wop music	popular music	soul music
disco music	rap music	swing music
funk music	reggae music	techno music

To retrieve books on popular music topics and omit recordings, try adding the words history and criticism to the subject headings above:

Subject begins with ...	blues music history and criticism
Subject begins with ...	popular music history and criticism
Subject begins with ...	rock music history and criticism

Choose Subject Keyword to find books on individual artists or groups:

Subject Keyword	jimi hendrix
Subject Keyword	grateful dead
Subject Keyword	beatles

For more help with searching in Pegasus, see Pegasus: Searching for Music.

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In Melvyl, the electronic library catalog for the combined UC campuses, search by author (including artist or group), title, journal title, subject, or general keywords. When doing an Author search on the name of a group, use Author - Organization. When searching by subject, use the same Library of Congress headings as in Pegasus. You can limit your search to books, scores, recordings, or other formats. In addition, you can limit to any one UC campus, and/or by year(s) or by language. UCSB students, faculty, and staff may request from other UC campuses items not held at UCSB (or held at UCSB but checked out); to do so, use the Request button on your search result page. Melvyl requests are generally received within 3-5 days.

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You can access most of the databases below by selecting the Indexes and Databases link from the library's homepage:

Blues Bibliographic Database

Contains 15,000 searchable bibliographic citations to magazine articles, books, articles in books, and record liner notes.

International Index to Music Periodicals, Full Text (IIMP-FT)

Citations and abstracts for articles and reviews from ca. 370 music periodicals. Coverage is strongest from 1996 forward; citations of articles from 1996- have subject headings and abstracts, whereas those for earlier literature generally do not. To search, try using the "select from a list" link for Subject Categories or Subject Terms. In addition, IIMP-FT contains the full texts of over eighty music periodicals back to 1996 or earlier.

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe

Contains a wide variety of full-text resoures such as international, national, and regional newspapers, magazines, and newsletters; wire service reports; television and radio news broadcasts; company and industry reports, etc. Use the News, Business, or Reference menus to search for information on artists or groups, concert and record reviews, and information on the music industry.

Expanded Academic ASAP

1980 to present. Citations from popular and general-interest magazines as well as academic journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Includes abstracts for many titles. Full-text is available for several important music journals, including American Music (1993-), Billboard (1992-), Black Music Research Journal (1997-), Down Beat (1994-), and Popular Music and Society (1997).

Music Index Online

Indexes 640 music periodicals, with coverage back to 1979. To find appropriate subject headings, go to the Expert search screen, click on the Xref Browser button, and look under popular music.

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature

1967 to present, though the most recent citations do not include abstracts or subject indexing. RILM indexes music literature of all types: journal articles, reviews, books, dissertations, conference proceedings, etc. Includes thousands of citations from journals not exclusively devoted to music.

RoJaRo Index

A music magazine index independently produced by a Norwegian music librarian. Indexes hundreds of magazines from around the world covering every music genre except classical. Many of the magazines are not indexed elsewhere. Has not been updated since August 2000.

ABI/Inform (Business and economics)	Index to Film Periodicals
America: History and Life	Index to TV Periodicals
Chicano Database	International Index to the Performing Arts
Communication Abstracts	JSTOR (back runs of scholarly journals)
Contemporary Women's Issues	MLA International Bibliography
Ethnic NewsWatch	Project Muse Journals
Family & Society Studies Worldwide	PsycInfo
GenderWatch	Sociological Abstracts
Historical Abstracts	Women's Studies International

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Browse the shelves in the Music Library under the following ML classes for books on popular music and jazz:

ML3470--General	ML3518--Big band
ML3477--United States	ML3521--Blues
ML3485--Mexico	ML3524--Country
ML3486--Cuba	ML3531--Rap
ML3506-3509--Jazz	ML3534--Rock

Remember, though, that many books may be checked out. Search in Pegasus to determine the library's complete holdings in these classes. To browse by ML class in Pegasus, go to Advanced Search (via the tab at the top) and choose Call Number (LC) from one of the "Field to search" pulldown menus. Then enter the ML class number as in the following examples:

Call Number (LC)	ml3470	[general books on popular music]
Call Number (LC)	ml3521	[books on the blues]
Call Number (LC)	ml3524	[books on country]

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Big Book of Country Music: A Biographical Encyclopedia. 1995 Ref ML102 .C7 C28 1995

Primarily a dictionary of country artists and bands, but also includes articles on genres (bluegrass, honky-tonk, rockabilly, western swing, new country, etc.), instruments (banjo, guitar), and other topics (folk revival, singer/songwriter). Thoroughly cross-referenced. Includes a brief bibliography and an index.

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. 1999. Ref ML102 J3 F4 1999

Concise entries, most less than half a column, on hundreds of jazz musicians from the nineteenth century up to the present. The information given is factual rather than critical or analytical; the text is dense and heavily abbreviated. Representative compact discs are listed, often without album titles. There is no index.

Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz, 1900-1950. 4 vols. 1974. Ref ML102 .P66 K55

Extensive, though selective, coverage of "the period 1900-50 and the contributions of singers, orchestra leaders, musicians, arrangers, composers and lyricists to popular music and/or jazz" (p. xiii). Volume 1 is arranged by year, with lists of Broadway musicals, popular songs, movie musicals, and representative recordings. Volumes 2 and 3 provide biographical entries, with lists of representative works (musicals, records, LPs, songs) of each artist. Volume 4 includes indexes of names, musicals, and songs, as well as numerical lists of major record labels.

Comprehensive Country Music Encyclopedia. 1994. Ref ML102 .C7 C6 1994

Comprises 680 signed entries, most less than a page long, on artists, bands, instruments, record labels, shows (Grand Ole Opry, etc.), and other topics (Country Music Hall of Fame, Country Music Association, etc.). Over 600 photographs.

Contemporary Musicians. 1989-. Ref. ML385 .C66

Although this title is a serial (published three times a year) rather than a dictionary or encyclopedia, the information it provides is similar to that in many of the other resources in this section. Each volume contains ca. eighty entries on musicians from all popular genres, a few "classical artists who have achieved 'crossover' status" (p. xi), and selected producers, promoters, and music industry executives. Most entries are two to three pages long and include a biographical essay, photograph, discography of major records, and brief bibliography of books and articles. Each volume has cumulative subject and name indexes.

Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. 2003. Ref. ML102 .P66 C66 2003

A major scholarly reference work on popular music that originated with the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM). Contributors are authoritative international scholars of popular music. Arrangement is systematic rather than alphabetical, so the user must consult the table of contents and list of topics entitled "Arrangement of the Material" at the front of each volume. Volume 1 is arranged in two parts: "Social and Cultural Dimensions" and "The Industry"; volume 2 is in three: "Performers and Performing" (types of groups and individuals rather than entries on specific acts and artists), "Musical Production and Transmission," and "Musical Instruments."

Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and Its Performers. 1995. ML102 .C7 M33 1995

Hundreds of entries for artists and bands, with brief lists of representative albums. Concludes with extensive lists of awards, including a list by artist.

The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music. 1998. Ref. ML102 .C7 E54 1998

Consists primarily of signed biographical entries on performers and songwriters; also includes articles on radio shows, country music styles, instruments, record companies, and organizations. Interspersed are ten longer essays, listed in the table of contents, that discuss various topics as they pertain to country music: Christianity, the South, folk roots, songwriting, Nashville, records, costuming, etc. Appendixes include lists of award winners, Country Music Hall of Fame members, and best-selling records.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 4rd ed. 10 vols. 2006. Ref ML102 .P66 G84 2006

Generally brief entries for singers, instrumentalists, groups, composers, and albums; includes coverage of jazz, blues, soul, folk, country, pop, rock, musical theater, film music, rhythm 'n blues, metal, and more. Does not include entries for styles, genres, venues, concepts, etc. Entries include listings of albums (with release dates) and brief bibliographic references (books, videos, films). Volume 9 contains selected album reviews and two bibliographies, one by artist and one by subject; the latter includes African, blues, cinema, country, dance music, folk, hip hop, etc. Both bibliographies cite books only, no articles. Volume 10 contains an index of song and album titles and a general index.

Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups. 2000. Ref ML102 .P66 R67 2000

Focuses on the personnel of both black and white groups that sang "vocal group harmony," i.e. rhythm and blues, with at least four singers, from the 1930s through 1965 (with some discography up to as late as 1970). Arranged by group name, with entries giving city of origin, original personnel, personnel changes, discography, and brief bibliographic references. There is an appendix that cross-references performers' names to groups.

Encyclopedia of Rock Stars. 1996. Ref ML102 .R6 R44 1996

Chronological entries for artists and bands, with personnel history, peak chart positions of singles and albums, awards, significant broadcasts, and other information.

Folk and Blues: The Encyclopedia. 2001. Ref. ML102 .F66 S73 2001

Covers artists and groups performing traditional, roots, blues, and folk music. Entries are largely based on interviews. Includes numerous awards lists, such as grammys, indies, Folk Alliance, Blues Hall of Fame, and RIAA gold, platinum, and multiplatinum for folk, folk rock, and blues artists.

Jazz: The Rough Guide. 1995. Ref ML102 .J3 C33 1995

Ca. 2,000 entries for jazz artists constitute the main portion of the volume. While most of those included are American, "there are more non-Americans in this dictionary than in any other" (p. vii). Selective record listings are included. Concludes with a 34-page glossary that provides substantial explanations of key stylistic, historical, and genre terms.

The Language of Jazz. 2000. Ref ML102 .J3 P68 2000

Selective list of terms for styles, genres, instruments, place names (Chicago, Georgia, Harlem, Storyville), record labels, and venues; also includes some biographical entries. Definitions are generous, usually a substantial paragraph and often half a page or more. Includes an introduction and bibliography.

New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2d ed. 3 vols. 2002. Ref ML102 .J3 N48 2002

The most comprehensive, up-to-date, and scholarly encyclopedia of jazz currently available. There are entries for broad topics such as beat, blues, forms, harmony, improvisation, notation, recording, and transcription, as well as for performers, record labels, styles, and instruments. The entry "Nightclubs and Other Venues" has an extensive directory arranged by country, then city, followed by an alphabetical index; the same applies to the entry "Festivals." "Libraries and Archives" is a survey by country. Articles are signed and include bibliographies and, for performers and ensembles, very selective discographies. There is also a general bibliography, but no general index. The general bibliography (see vol. 3, pp. 1031-1079) is classified into sections: bibliographies and reference materials, general discographies, name discographies (i.e. discographies for individual artists), record label listings, other listings, and other books.

New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2d ed. 29 vols. 2001 Ref ML100 .N48 2001

The most comprehensive English-language general music encyclopedia, with contributions from leading scholars. Articles are signed and include bibliographic references. The coverage of popular music has been greatly expanded from the first edition. GroveMusic, the online version, allows full-text searching and includes links to Web resources.

The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. 1995. Ref ML102 .R6 R64 1995

Ca. 1800 entries for artists and groups provide brief historical commentary, document personnel changes, and selectively indicate important singles and albums (with chart positions). There are also entries for genres (country, heavy metal, hip-hop, jazz, soul, etc.). Lists of Grammy awards--one for each letter of the alphabet--are interspersed among the entries and thus rather difficult to access.

Oxford Companion to Popular Music. 1991. Ref ML102 .P66 G35 1991

Includes entries for both names and terms. Chronological coverage is from approximately the mid-nineteenth century up to the year of publication. The primary focus is on popular song and popular musical theater (including operetta, cabaret, and music hall) in the United States and Great Britain, though there are also entries for jazz and folk music. There are three substantial indexes--people and groups, shows and films, and songs and albums--each of which omits titles, names, etc. having their own entries.

Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 2d ed. 1998. Ref ML3470 .P46 1998

Entries for artists and groups representing a variety of music genres (country, jazz, rock, pop, gospel, blues, world music, etc.) as well as for songwriters, record labels, genres, and styles. About 20 percent of the entries are a column or longer. There is a thorough index.

The Rock Who's Who. 2d ed. 1996. Ref ML102 .R6 H5 1996

A selective, "annotated critical and historical discography of rock and soul music, encompassing major acts who have contributed significantly to the development of contemporary popular music" (p. ix). Each entry provides a narrative history followed by a list of albums intended to be comprehensive; information given for each album includes the title, label and number of the original release, year, and format (vinyl, cassette, compact disc, CD-ROM). The volume concludes with bibliographies ("Books and Articles about Artists," "Discographies, Record Charts, and Record Guides") and an index of song titles, album titles, and names.

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Billboard Book of Number One Hits. 3rd ed. 1992. Ref ML156.4 .P6 B76 1992

A page is devoted to each number-one hit (primarily from Billboard's Hot 100 list) from July 9, 1955 (Bill Haley's "Rock around the Clock") through March 21, 1992 (Vanessa Williams's "Save the Best for Last"). Entries indicate how many weeks each song was number one and provide general historical information on the performers, writers, etc. Each entry is accompanied by a photograph. The table of contents lists the number-one hits by year. The volume concludes with name and title indexes, as well as a chart showing the most number-one hits by artist, writer, producer, record label.

The Complete Book of the British Charts, Singles and Albums. 2000. ML156.4 .P6 B75 2000

An index of British chart listings of singles, albums, and EP (extended-play records) from 1952 to the end of the twentieth century. The main section is arranged by individual or group; information given for each charting single, album, or EP includes label, highest position, date of chart entry, and total weeks on the chart. There is also a list of number one singles and albums by year, an index for compilation entries (charting singles/albums/EPs not under any one act, such as soundtracks), and a title index.

Country Music: The Rough Guide. 2000. Ref. ML3524 .C678 2000

The text is divided into fourteen chapters that reflect the historical development of the genre. Each begins with a historical essay that is followed by biographical entries on individual artists; the essays and artist entries contain annotated citations of significant CDs and LPs. Concludes with an index of artists and bands.

Facts behind the Songs: A Handbook of American Popular Music from the Nineties to the '90s. 1993. Ref ML102 .P66 F2 1993

A compendium of articles--some quite brief, some up to several pages long--on American twentieth-century popular song, providing a wealth of information. The "Classified Guide to the Articles" on p. xxi groups the entries as follows: origin (classics, film music, Harlem, lead sheets, etc.), foreign influence (countries and areas of the world), domestic influence (bebop, bluegrass, cakewalk, coon song, motown, rockabilly, etc.), dissemination (Academy Awards, ASCAP, Billboard, copyright, cover, radio, etc.), historical survey (depression years, gay nineties, World War I, World War II, etc.), genre (ballad, beguine, cha cha cha, charleston, polka, punk rock, etc.), song subject (age, angels, beginning, dreams, etc.). Many articles conclude with a list of "Additional Songs" and bibliographic references. Following the articles and a selection of photographs is a "Catalogue of Songs," cross-referenced to the articles.

The Great Song Thesaurus. 2d ed. 1989. Ref ML128 .S3 L4 1989

A compilation of information on thousands of American and British popular songs from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. The songs are listed in separate sections by year and by title (giving year of greatest popularity, composer and lyricist, and use in musical theater, film, television, etc.). There is also a list of Tony, Oscar, Grammy, and other awards; an index of composers and lyricists; a section listing musicals, films, and radio and television shows and songs associated with them; and a "Thesaurus of Song Titles by Subject, Key Word, and Category."

The Green Book of Songs by Subject: A Thematic Guide to Popular Music. 4th ed. 1995. Ref ML156.4 .P6 G73 1994

A classified listing of over twenty-one thousand popular songs under ca. eight hundred subject categories and subcategories. All genres are included (rock, pop standards, country, reggae, jazz, Broadway, folk, Cajun, etc.), and the chronological scope is the entire twentieth century. Each entry gives the song title, artist, album title, and record label. There is a concluding subject index that serves as a "tool for browsing the subject categories and subcategories" (p. 4). See also A Resource Guide to Themes in Contemporary American Song Lyrics.

Guide to the Blues: History, Who's Who, Research Sources. 1994. Ref ML3521 .S58 1994

Part 1, comprising six chapters, is a history of the blues, from African roots to the influence of the blues on jazz, rhythm 'n' blues, soul, rock 'n' roll, and rap. Concluding each chapter is a bibliography. In part 2, there is a biographical section titled "Exponents and Research Materials," with entries for ca. three hundred blues musicians; this is followed by a filmography, a bibliography, and a discography. There is also a thirty-page section of photographs. The volume concludes with an index.

Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top 10 Album Charts, 1963-1998. 1999. Ref ML156.4 .P6 W4438 1999

Throughout the twentieth century, the lists (charts) of current music hits based on record sales and airplay, published in the music trade magazine Billboard and elsewhere, have provided an ongoing account of the dissemination of popular music, especially in the United States and Great Britain; as such, charts are valuable research materials. This volume presents the weekly top ten from Billboard's Top Pop Albums chart from 1963 to 1998. Albums in their peak position are indicated in boldface; the previous week's chart position and the total weeks on the chart are indicated as well. Concludes with an index by artists/group and various other tables presenting data extracted from the main list. Many other compilations of chart information have been published; to find some of them, go to Pegasus, choose "Keyword anywhere," type in wsu=music and wti=charts, and hit return.

Popular Music: The Key Concepts. 2nd ed. 2005. ML102 .P66 S58 2005

Provides concise explanations of central concepts and terminology--both musical and sociological--commonly used in the study of popular music. Included are terms relating to methodology (feminism, semiotics, textual analysis, marxism, ethnography) and to the music industry (copyright, managers, marketing), terms for popular music genres (ca. sixty), and terms relating to the creation of the music itself, its dissemination, and its audiences. Thoroughly cross-referenced. References for further reading direct the user to citations in the bibliography. There are name and subject indexes.

Lissauer's Encyclopedia of Popular Music in America. 3 vols. 1996. Ref ML128 .P63 L57 1996

Section 1 alphabetically lists over twenty thousand songs; each entry gives composer, lyricist, the year the song was introduced or hit the charts, and a few brief notes regarding the song's history (important records, shows in which it was used, etc.). Section 2 lists all of the songs in section 1 by year, then alphabetically. Section 3 lists them by composer and lyricist.

Movie Song Catalog. 1993. Ref ML128 .M7 B46 1993

Identifies "the songs, the songwriters and the singers" (p. xi) in 1,460 selected films from 1928 through 1988. The main section is a listing by film title. Each entry gives such information as year of release, running time, director, music director, and producer; the film's songs are then listed, with composer(s), lyricist(s), and performer(s). There are indexes of performers, songwriters, and song titles.

Musichound R & B: The Essential Album Guide. 1998. ML156.4 .B6 M87 1998

A buyer's guide to available rhythm 'n' blues albums. For each act, there is an introductory narrative followed by a rated list of albums. Following the main alphabetical section, there is a useful series of lists: books, magazines, and newspapers; web pages; festivals; radio stations; record labels; and top-rated albums. There are indexes for band members and producers, and there is also a "roots" index (an alphabetical list of acts--not necessarily rhythm 'n' blues--showing which R & B groups were influenced by each) and a "category" index, which lists R & B groups according to an imaginative classification scheme ("blue-eyed soul," "afro-centric," "medicine men," etc.).

The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. 4th ed. 1998. ML156.4 .J3 67 1998

Selectively lists jazz records available at the time of publication, with a four-star rating system and critical commentary. Information given for each record includes label and number, personnel and instrumental credits, and recording date.

Popular Music, 1920-1979: An Annotated Guide to over 18,000 American Popular Songs. 1985. 3 vols. Ref ML120 .U5 S55 1985

"[A] selective, annotated list" of the "significant popular songs of our times" (p. 9). The main section is a listing by song title, giving composer, lyricist, current publisher, and copyright date; this information is followed by annotations indicating musicals, films, radio shows, or television shows featuring the song, performers associated with it, important recordings, etc. There is an index of lyricists and composers, and an index titled "Important Performances" that lists, by medium, musicals, films, radio shows, etc. and their associated songs. Finally, there is a list of songs nominated for Oscars or Grammys (winners are marked with asterisks). Volume 1 opens with a series of essays on American popular song by decade. For similar information on the preceding period, see the companion volume, Popular Music, 1900-1919, Ref ML120 .U5 C6 1988. For the following years, see volume 9 (covering 1980-84) and the following volumes, one for each year, of Popular Music: An Annotated Guide, Ref ML120 .U5 S5. All of these volumes begin with an introductory overview of the period covered.

Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. 2004. 4 vols. ML3470 .P674 2004

Reprints key articles in popular music studies from a variety of disciplinary perspectives: musicology, ethnomusicology, sociology, film and literary studies, business studies, political science, cultural studies, etc. Intended to show that popular music studies "best develop . . . through the juxtaposition of different methodological approaches to the same questions" (1:5). Contents: vol. 1, Music and Society; vol. 2, The Rock Era; vol. 3, Popular Music Analysis; vol. 4, Music and Identity.

Popular Music Genres: An Introduction. 2004. ML3470 .B67 2004

An introduction to popular music based on its musical texts and their social, cultural, political, and economic contexts. A chapter is devoted to each of eleven genres: soul, psychedelia, progressive rock, reggae, funk, heavy metal, punk rock, rap, synthpop, indie, and jungle. Each chapter contains the following sections: An Overview of the Genre, Historical Roots and Antecedents, Social and Political Context, The Musical Texts, Visual Aesthetic, and Subsequent Generic Developments. Each also provides a brief bibliography and discography.

Popular Songs of the Twentieth Century: A Charted History. Vol. 1, Chart Detail and Encyclopedia, 1900-1949. 2000. Ref ML128 .S3 G3 2000

The author has attempted to construct Top 20 popular song charts for the first part of the twentieth century, using information on sheet music and record sales from weekly music trade magazines such as The Music Trades, Variety, and Billboard, as well as various reference sources. The book is organized in several sections, including an index of charted songs that gives month, year, and highest rank. The charts themselves are organized in monthly and semi-monthly presentations.

A Resource Guide to Themes in Contemporary American Song Lyrics, 1950-1985. 1986. Ref ML156.4 .P6 C66 1986

An interpretive guide to the lyrics of ca. three thousand popular songs from 1950 to 1985. The lyrics are categorized around fifteen major themes, each theme forming one chapter and subdivided into several related facets. Each chapter opens with an essay, which is followed by categorized listings of the songs. The volume concludes with a selective discography and bibliography, and indexes of song titles and recording artists. See also The Green Book of Songs by Subject.

Rock Music in American Popular Culture: Rock 'n' Roll Resources. 1995. ML3534 .C663 1995

See also Rock Music in American Popular Culture II (ML3534 .C663 1997) and Rock Music in American Popular Culture III (ML3534 .C663 1999). Each volume is a bibliographic and discographic handbook for the study of popular music in American culture. Individual chapters explore popular-culture themes (death, tobacco, western images, railroads, social commentary, etc.); each chapter begins with a critical essay, includes lists of significant records, and ends with bibliographic references or, for volume 3, a selective bibliography. Volume 3 also includes a list of the "Hot 100" popular-music reference books of 1971 to 1995 (pp. 8-14). Each volume concludes with a lengthy general bibliography and an index.

Reggae: The Rough Guide. 1997. ML3532 .B37 1997

Traces the development of reggae and its many subgenres from the fifties to the present, with sketches of significant performers and producers. Includes selective, annotated discographies for individual stars, which may be accessed through the index of artists. There is a short glossary, but no comprehensive index.

The Rolling Stone Album Guide. 3rd ed. 1992. ML156.4 .P6 R62 1992

Organized by artist/group, providing for each a brief critical essay (some run to a page or longer) and a rated list of albums available at the time of publication. All genres of popular music and jazz are included.

The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock. 5th ed. 1997. Ref ML156.4 .R6 T75 1997

Analysis and discography for ca. 2,300 nonmainstream acts from the nineties.

World Music: The Rough Guide. 2d ed. 2 vols. 1999. Ref ML102 .W67 W67 1999

This guide aims to "document and explain the popular, folk and (excluding the Western canon) classical music traditions around the globe" (1:ix). Volume 1 covers Africa, Europe, and the Middle East; volume 2 covers Latin and North America, the Caribbean, India, Asia, and the Pacific. Each volume is organized by large region and contains around eighty articles by area specialists on individual countries or ethnic groups (e.g., "Gypsy, Jewish Sephardic, Kurdish, and Pygmy music" [1:x]). The articles introduce the music of each country and its relation to history, society, politics, etc., and highlight the most significant performers. Following each article is a selective discography that includes brief biographical notes. Also included in each volume are lists of record labels and specialty record shops as well as an index.

All Music Guide

A guide to available recordings in a variety of genres: rock, country, jazz, blues, world, folk, bluegrass, rap, and more. For each major genre, there are signed essays on numerous subgenres and on developments across various chronological periods. Thousands of albums are reviewed and rated, with narrative accounts of each artist or group. Styles, glossary terms, albums, artists, periods, etc. are thoroughly cross-linked so that the user can navigate easily among related concepts. Several All-Music Guides are available in print editions in the Arts Library: country (Ref ML156.4 .C7 A45 1997), jazz (ML156.4 .J3 A45 1998), blues (ML156.4 .B6 A55 1996), rock (ML156.9 .A39 1997).

ASCAP and BMI

ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) are United States performing rights organizations; they administer the payment of royalties to songwriters and publishers for the public performance of songs. From both web sites, you can search song title databases (ASCAP, BMI) to find copyright registration information (songwriter, publisher contact information, etc.) on individual songs. A third, much smaller U.S. performing rights organization is SESAC; you can also search the SESAC repertory database. All three web sites contain much information on the business and legal aspects of popular music, in addition to information on songwriters, charts, news, etc.

BigBands Database

This large database devoted to big band and other popular music is searchable by band name, musician, song title, or other keyword. May also be browsed by region (American, Canadian, British, or European bands). Includes information on current bands as well as historical material. The Tunesmiths Database contains short biographical information on hundreds of popular music composers and lyricists. Other resources include a glossary, Hit Parade winners 1935-55, and essays on a variety of topics.

Grammy Awards

A searchable database provided by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the organization that presents the Grammy awards annually. Search by name, title of work, genre, year, etc., or by combined categories. The NARAS site also contains much information about the Grammy awards and about recording technology, preservation, and archives. See also The Grammys: The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to Music's Highest Honor (Ref ML76 .G7 O53 1999), a list of all Grammy awards and nominees, arranged by year; each year's listing is preceded by an essay.

A Great Day in Harlem

At 10 a.m. one morning in August 1958, photographer Art Kane managed to get 57 jazz musicians together on a street in Harlem to have a group picture taken. At this Web site, the famous photograph is the starting point for exploring the history of jazz by artist, group, chronology, style, or instrument. Includes a time line, album picks, and more of Art Kane's photographs.

Musicals101

An online encyclopedia of the musical theater, including stage, motion picture, and television. Includes an index of stage musicals giving title, opening date, number of performances, and licensor. Also includes a chronology, brief biographical sketches, an annotated bibliography, reviews, essays, and more.

Record Labels on the Web

Links to thousands of record label web pages. Browse alphabetically, or search by location (U.S. states, foreign countries), by genre, or both.

Red Hot Jazz Archive

An excellent site devoted to the history of jazz before 1930. Essays on musicians and bands, discographies with many complete audio clips, bibliographic references. Fully searchable.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Information on all of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, as well as current and past virtual exhibits featuring essays and images. See also the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Sheet music collections. From the UCSB Library music subject page

Collections of American sheet music dating mostly from the nineteenth through the early twentieth century. Most of these collections are well indexed and provide online access to images of the covers and the music itself, which consists primarily of popular songs and piano pieces. Sheet music is a valuable primary resource for the study of popular music and American culture.

Jazz Research and Performance Materials: A Select Annotated Bibliography. 2d ed. 1995. Ref ML128 .J3 M33 1995

Lists books, dissertations, videos, journals, and collections; does not list journal articles. Chronological coverage is from the 1920s through early 1995. Includes research, performance, and teaching materials. Author, subject indexes. See also Jazz Reference and Research Materials (1981), Davidson Library, Ethnic and Gender Studies, ML128 .J3 M33; "a limited number of entries" (p. viii) from this earlier work are included in the 1995 volume.

The Literature of Rock, 1954-1978. 1981. Ref ML128 .R6 H6

A classified, selective, annotated bibliography of books and periodical articles on rock. A brief introduction surveys the history of rock literature. An appendix provides an annotated list of periodicals that include "notable coverage" of rock, and there is an index of "artists, genres, concepts, and trends" (p. xi). See also The Literature of Rock, II: 1979-1983 (2 vols., 1986), Ref ML128 .R6 H62 1986 and The Literature of Rock, III: 1984-1990 (1995), Ref ML128 .R6 H63 1995; these later volumes are similar in purpose, method, and organization to the first.

Popular Music: A Reference Guide 1986. Ref ML128 .P63 I95 1986

A classified bibliography of literature on "the entire popular music field" (p. xii); jazz, folk, blues, and musical theater are included. Chronological coverage is "from the beginnings of the genre to 1984" (ibid.). Items listed appear limited to monographs. The work is divided into seven sections: "The Music," "Biography," "Technical" (guides to songwriting, arrangement, instrumental techniques, etc.), "The Music Business," "Product" (songs indexes, guides to record reviews, books on record collecting, etc.), "Literary Works," and "Periodicals."

Rap Music in the 1980s: A Reference Guide. 1992. Ref ML128 .R28 M3 1992

Comprises two chapters and four indexes. Chapter 1, "A Guide to the Literature," is an annotated list of books, articles, and reviews; chapter 2 is a selected discography. The volume concludes with indexes of dates, subjects, artists and personalities, and album and song titles. All material listed dates from the 1980s.

Rock Song Index: Essential Information on the 7,500 Most Important Songs of Rock and Roll. 1997. ML128 .R6 P65 1997

The songs are listed by artist/group, and there is a song title index. Each entry is under the "first appearance of a given song, as opposed to its more famous cover version" (p. xi); a list by title of the one hundred most important songs with well-known cover versions is provided in the introduction. Annotations in the main listing indicate each song's significance, including important "cover versions, movie usages, and chart success" (p. xii).

Rolling Stone Index: Twenty-five Years of Popular Culture: 1967-1991. 1993 Ref ML1 .R64452 G38 1993

Since its founding in San Francisco in 1967 with an inaugural issue that featured John Lennon on the cover, Rolling Stone grew to become one of the most significant magazines of American popular culture, covering not only music but also literature, film, poetry, art, fashion, etc., often from a political perspective. This volume provides comprehensive access to the magazine's contents for its first twenty-five years, indexing not only articles but also book, movie, concert, and record reviews; letters to the editor; poetry; cover appearances; and random notes. Access to these categories is somewhat confusing, as the index is organized in nine sections comprising twenty separate indexes, plus two master indexes. The user must consult multiple indexes to be sure of locating all RS contents pertaining to a particular topic.

Records are basic primary sources for the study of all types of popular music, jazz, folk, and blues, and discographies are an important starting point for researching these materials. The Arts Library has many discographies in addition to those listed below. To find them, go to Pegasus, choose Subject Keyword from the pulldown menu, and search on the name of a genre followed by the term discography:

Subject Keyword	blues music discography
Subject Keyword	popular music discography
Subject Keyword	country music discography

Many discographies in the Arts Library are shelved under ML156, either in the reference section or the regular stacks. In addition, many of the works cited in other sections of this guide contain discographic information, often along with critical analysis. Below is a very brief sampling of some noteworthy discographies.

Blues and Gospel Records, 1890-1943. 4th ed. 1997. Ref. ML156.4 .B6 D59 1997

The premier discography for prewar blues and black sacred music, recorded mostly on 78-rpm discs. Arranged alphabetically by artist, then session date; lists record serial and matrix numbers. Includes title, vocalist, and accompanist indexes. See the review by Edward Komara in Notes 55 (1998): 361-63.

Country Music Sources: A Biblio-Discography of Commercially Recorded Traditional Music. 2002. Ref. ML156.4 .F5 M43 2002

"This discography documents the recordings of country musicians made by commercial companies" (p. xii) from 1921 through 1942. Whereas many discographies are arranged by artist or record label, here the arrangement is by genre, then song or tune. The main section is in four parts: ballads, popular songs, religious songs, and instrumental music (mostly fiddle tunes). There is a bibliography of song collections, a song title index, and a performer index.

The Great Rock Discography. 1998. Ref ML156.4 .R6 S8 1998

Detailed discographies for ca. one thousand artists and groups, giving exhaustive group histories. For albums and singers, gives U.S. and U.K. release dates, labels and catalog numbers, complete track/band/side information, and chart positions in the U.S. and U.K.

The Jazz Discography. 1992-. Ref ML156.4 .J3 L67 1992

Twenty-five volumes projected. Intended to be a comprehensive general jazz discography covering over one hundred years of recorded jazz. Includes "all types of jazz and creative improvised music, including traditional jazz, swing, bebop, modern, avant-garde, fusion, third stream, etc." (vol. 1, p. 3). Entries are arranged by leader name, then chronologically by session date; information given includes album title, group name, musicians and what instruments they played, recording location, and tune names. Indexes of musicians and titles are planned following publication of the final volume in the main alphabetical sequence.

Jazz Records, 1897-1942. 5th ed. 2 vols. Ref ML156.4 .J3 R92 1982

Comprehensively documents records of "jazz [and] of dance music with close affiliation to jazz, as well as vocal records with jazz groups used as accompaniment"; also includes "important and interesting" records of ragtime (p. ii). Only American and British artists are included. Arrangement is by artist or group, then recording session date and matrix number. There are indexes of artists and titles. LPs are included only if their music was never released on 78-rpm discs.

Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories, 1890-1954: The History of American Popular Music. 1986. Ref ML156.4 .P6 W485 1986

The main section lists artist/group alphabetically, giving every record that appeared on popular music charts, date charted, peak position, weeks charted, and record label/number. This is followed by a song title index giving artist/group, with peak position and year, so the user can easily see which version of a song was most popular. Whitburn includes a brief introduction on his method and sources for compiling the data, accompanied by a tabular synopsis of this information; for the decades prior to Billboard's "Best Selling Records" charts of the 1940s, he used a variety of soures, including Phonogram, Phonoscope, sheet music sales, record label catalogs, Jim Walsh columns for Hobbies Magazine, Talking Machine World, etc. Because these early sources differ greatly in substance from the later charts, information from this book regarding "chart position" through the thirties should be used with considerable caution.

The Louis Armstrong Discography

A work-in-progress to provide a comprehensive Armstrong discography. Organization is chronological; there are no indexes, and there is no search engine to allow keyword searching by categories. Information provided includes recording date, artist, song title, composers, matrix number, record label and release number of first issue, and CD/LP reissues. Additional session details, especially personnel, are currently being added.

Miles Ahead: A Miles Davis Website

The site includes a discography, organized chronologically, that gives label, date, tune, composer, and (in many cases) a cover graphic. The discography may be rearranged by label. There is also a sessions index that gives detailed information on each session (locations, releases, tunes, personnel, etc.). The sessions index can be searched by a variety of parameters: tune, musician, venue, city, medium, or group. A discographical query form allows querying the database by tune, to retrieve details on all of the formats (78, 45, 10" LP, 12" LP, CD) in which the tune was released.

Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. 5th ed. 2000. Ref. ML156.4 .J3 C67 2000

Aims to provide a "detailed summary and evaluation of what exactly is available by both major and minor figures in the jazz field" (introduction). The authors' judgments are indicated by both a star rating system and the text included in each entry. Musicians are listed alphabetically in the main section as well as in the index that follows. Album citations give the title, label, and catalog number, followed by musical personnel and recording date. A very brief biographical note opens each entry. This guide lists thousands of jazz CDs and is an excellent resource for both the novice and veteran collector.

Schwann Spectrum. 1990-. ML156.2 .S72. Latest edition shelved in Ref.

Published quarterly. Lists nonclassical recordings (compact discs, cassettes, and LPs) available in the United States. There are seven sections, most of which are arranged by artist or group: popular, jazz, soundtracks (arranged by title), international (by country or region), new age, gospel/religious, and miscellaneous (arranged by categories, including belly dancing, nostalgia, karaoke, and polka). The first section includes rock, blues, country, folk, rap, dance, instrumental, and vocal pop; entries in this section include a code indicating subgenre: banjo, bluegrass, blues, Cajun, disco, easy listening, folk, industrial/gothic, punk, rockabilly, etc.

Top.

Billboard. Weekly. ML1 .B5663

Ask at the Music Service Desk for current issues. Older issues available on microfilm; see Pegasus for complete holdings. The trade magazine of the music industry. News, charts (Hot 100, singles, albums, video, airplay, etc., in multiple genres). Indexed in IIMP (1996-), Expanded Academic ASAP (full text, 1992-), Music Index Online. See also Billboard Online.

Down Beat. Monthly. ML1 .D69

Latest issue in music serials display rack, current issues in the regular stacks, back issues on microfilm; see Pegasus for complete holdings. Jazz. Profiles, interviews, features, reviews, festival information, solo transcriptions. Citations and full text in IIMP (indexed 1996-; full text 2001-), Expanded Academic ASAP (indexed 1985-; full text 1994-). Also indexed in Music Index Online, RoJaRo. See also Down Beat.com.

Jazz Journal International. Monthly. ML5 .J316

Latest issue in music serials display rack; see Pegasus for complete holdings. Features, interviews, news; numerous record reviews. Indexed in IIMP (1990-), Music Index Online, RoJaRo.

Popular Music. Three times a year. ML3469 .P66

Latest issue in music serials display rack. UCSB has complete holdings. Refereed academic journal that deals with popular music from multidisciplinary perspectives. Indexed in IIMP (1990-), Music Index Online, RILM. Full text also available from Cambridge Journals Online.

Popular Music and Society. Quarterly. ML1 .P69457

Latest issue in music serials display rack. UCSB has complete holdings. Refereed academic journal. Articles, recording and books reviews. Citations and full text in IIMP (indexed 1990-; full text 2000-) and Expanded Academic ASAP (indexed 1992-; full text 1996-). Also indexed in Music Index Online, RILM.

Rolling Stone. Biweekly. ML1 .R6445

Ask at the Music Service Desk for current issues. Older issues available on microfilm; see Pegasus for complete holdings. Feature articles, reviews. Full text in IIMP (1996-); indexed in Expanded Academic ASAP, Music Index Online, RoJaRo. See also RollingStone.com and The Rolling Stone Index: Twenty-five Years of Popular Culture, 1967-1991 (Ref. ML1 .R64452 G38 1993).