American Music

The music of the United States is so cool! It reflects the country’s multicultural population through a diverse array of styles.

Rock and roll, hip hop, country, rhythm and blues, and jazz are among the country’s most internationally renowned genres. Since the beginning of the 20th century, popular recorded music from the United States has become increasingly known across the world, to the point where some forms of American popular music is listened to almost everywhere. A history and an introduction in the ethnic music in the United States, American Indian music, classical music, folk music, hip hop, march music, popular music, patriotic music, as well as the American pop, rock, barbershop music, bluegrass music, blues, bounce music, Doo-wop, gospel, heavy metal, jazz, R&B, and the North American Western music.

CONTENTS:

American Music
Music of the US
– Characteristics
– Folk music
– – Blues and spirituals
– – Other immigrant communities
– Classical music
– – Early classical music
– – 20th century
– Popular music
– – Early popular song
– – Blues and gospel
– – Jazz
– – Country music
– – R&B and soul
– – Rock, metal and punk
– – Hip hop music
– – Other niche styles
– Music industry
– Music education
– Holidays and festivals
– References
– Notes
– Further reading
American Indian music
Chicken scratch
– Notes
– Further reading
Dene music
Ghost Dance
– Historical foundations
– – Paiute background
– – Round dance precursors
– Jack Wilson’s vision
– Role in Wounded Knee Massacre
– Anthropological perspectives
– – Religious revitalization model
– – Ghost Dance within revitalization model
– – Reason for rejection
– Movements with similarities
– References
– Further reading
Innu music
– References
Inuit music
– Katajjaq
– Source
– Reference
Iroquois music
Kiowa music
– Source
Kwakiutl music
Maroon music
Native American flute
– History
– Construction
– – Woods
– – Variations
– Music
– – Fingering
– Films
Native American hip hop
– Other rappers
– References
– Notes
Native American music
– Folk song
– Traditional music cultures
– – History
– – Southwest
– – Eastern Woodlands
– – Plains
– – Great Basin
– – Northwest Coast
– – Arctic
– Pan-tribalism
– – Native American flute
– References
Navajo music
– Contemporary popular
– Traditional
– Peyote songs
– Source
Peyote song
– Source
Pueblo music
– Source
Sioux music
Yuman music
– Source
– Further reading
American classical music
– Beginnings
– Second New England School
– Joplin
– 20th century
– Glass
American folk music
American Primitivism
– Quotes
Cajun music
– Lyrics
– Instruments
– Dance and festivals
Jug band
Old-time music
– History
– – The term „old-time”
– – Other sources
– – Revival
– Instrumentation
– Old-time music as dance music
– Learning old-time music
– Regional styles
– – Appalachia
– – New England
– – Midwest
– – The non-Appalachian South
– – Texas and the West
– – Canada
– Notes
– Films
Skiffle
– Skiffle bands
String band
American hip hop
– The East Coast
– – Baltimore
– – Boston
– – New Jersey
– – New York City
– – Philadelphia
– – Washington, D.C.
– Midwest
– – Chicago
– – Cleveland
– – Detroit
– – Minneapolis
– – St. Louis
– The South
– – Atlanta
– – Houston
– – Memphis
– – Miami
– – New Orleans
– – Oklahoma
– The West and West Coast
– – Los Angeles
– – Long Beach
– – Oakland/Bay Area
– – Seattle
East Coast hip hop
– Old school hip hop (1970–1986)
– – 1970s
– – 1980s
– The Golden Age of Hip Hop (1986–1993)
– – Popularization
– – Diversification and The Rise of Alternative Hip Hop
– Modern Hip Hop (1993–Present)
– – The Rise of the West Coast
– – The East Coast Renaissance
– – The Shiny Suit era & Mainstream pinnacle
– – ‘Second Wave’ Alternative hip hop
– – The Rise of the South
– Musical style & Regional difference
Southern rap
– History and rise to popularity
– Typical features
West Coast hip hop
– Origins and Early Success
– The First Great Divide: East vs. West
– The Second Great Divide: Commercial vs. Underground
– The Third Generation of the West Coast
American march music
– History
– – Marches and the Military Band
– – Marches and the Concert Band
– – Marches and the Circus
– – Marches and the Marching Band
– The John Philip Sousa Revolution
– – The Stars and Stripes Forever
– March Music Composers
– Famous Marches
– Musicality and the March Music Form
– – Meter
– – Tempo
– – Key
– – The March Music Form
– – – The Military March Form
– – – The „Regimental” March Form
– – – Other Forms and Styles
– – Phrasing
– – Chords and Harmonic Progression
– Difficulty
– Instrumentation
– Marches in Culture
– References
American popular music
– Early popular song
– – Tin Pan Alley
– – Broadway
– – Ragtime
– Early recorded popular music
– – Popular jazz and swing
– – Blues diversification and popularization
– 1950s and 60s
– – Country: Nashville Sound
– – Soul
– – 1960s rock
– 1970s and 80s
– – 70s funk and soul
– – 80s pop
– – Birth of the underground
– – – Hip hop
– – – Salsa
– – Punk and alternative rock
– – Heavy metal
– 1990s to the present
– International and social impact
– References
– Notes
– Further reading
American patriotic music
Music history of the United States
– American roots music
– – African American music
– – Appalachian folk music
– – Other forms of American roots music
– Popular music
– 1940s and 1950s
– – Roots of country music
– – Gospel and doo wop
– – Latin music
– – Cajun and Creole music
– 1960s and 70s
– – Early 1960s
– – Psychedelic rock
– – Soul and funk
– – Country and folk
– – Tejano
– 1970s
– – Heavy metal
– – Outlaw country
– – Hip hop
– – Salsa
– – Punk rock
– 1980s and 90s
– – Hip hop
– – 1990s
Minstrel show
– History
– – Early development
– – Height
– – Decline
– – Black minstrelsy
– Structure
– Characters
– Music and dance
– Legacy
– Notes
– References
Ethnic music in the United States
African American music
– 19th century
– Early 20th century
– Mid 20th century
– The 1970s and 1980s
– The 1990s and 2000s
– References
Anglo-American music
– References
– Notes
Celtic music in the United States
– Irish American Music
– References
– Notes
– Further reading
Latin music in the United States
– Present day Latin music
Music of immigrant communities in the United States
– Armenia
– Cape Verde
– China
– Czech
– Eastern European Jews
– England
– Philippines
– France
– Germany
– Greece
– Iran
– Ireland
– Italy
– Jamaica
– Japan
– Norway
– Poland
– Serbia and Montenegro
– Slovenia
– Ukraine
– Vietnam
Tejano music
American styles of music
American pop
– References
American rock
– 1950s
– – Covers: Early 50s
– – Rockabilly: Mid-50s
– – Diversification of American rock: Late 50s
– – – Surf Music
– 1960s
– – British Invasion
– – – 1960s Garage rock
– – Folk-rock
– – Psychedelic rock
– 1970s
– – Hard Rock
– – Glam Rock
– – Progressive Rock
– – Punk Rock
– 1980s
– – New Wave
– – Heavy Metal
– – Grunge
– – Nu Metal
– – Pop-punk
– 2000s
Barbershop music
– Ringing chords
– Historical origins
– Female Barbershop music and „Beautyshop” quartets
– Organization
– Notable artists
– – Quartets
– – Choruses
– Typical Barbershop Songs
– References
Bluegrass music
– Characteristics
– – Instrumentation
– – Vocals
– History
– – Creation
– – First generation
– – Second generation
– – Third generation
– – Fourth generation
– – Recent developments
– Subgenres
– – Traditional bluegrass
– – Progressive bluegrass
– Social and musical impact
– Bluegrass in movies
– Publications
– Publications with bluegrass content
– Museums
– References
Czech bluegrass
– Background
– The First Generation
– Second Generation: The Progressive Impulse
– (Neo-)Traditionalism
– Current Scene
Blues
– Characteristics
– – Origins
– – Lyrics
– – Musical style
– History
– – Origins
– – Prewar blues
– – Early postwar blues
– – Blues in the 1960s and 1970s
– – Blues from the 1980s to the present
– Musical impact
– Social impact
– References
– Further reading
– Notes
Chicago blues
Detroit blues
Louisiana blues
– Louisiana blues musicians
Memphis blues
– Memphis blues musicians
New Orleans blues
Piedmont blues
St. Louis blues
Texas blues
– Performers
West Coast blues
Bounce music
Chicano rock
– Overview
– History
– Chicano punk
– References
– See also
Country music
– History
– – Jimmie Rodgers’ influence
– – – Hank Williams
– – The Carter Family’s influence
– – – Bluegrass
– – The Nashville sound
– – – Reaction to the Nashville sound
– – Other developments
– African-American country
– Reception
– Further reading
– References
Bakersfield sound
Cowpunk
Nashville sound
Doo-wop
Go Go
– History
– Popular go-go bands and songs
– – First generation
– – Second generation
– – Hybrid Go-go and R&B bands
Gospel music
– Black gospel
– – Origins (1920s – 1940s)
– – Golden age (1940s – 1950s)
– – Gospel’s influences
– – – Gospel choirs appearing in other genres
– White Gospel
– Further reading
Southern gospel
– Origins
– Representative Artists
– Gaither Homecoming Series
– Today’s Southern Gospel
– Southern Gospel Media
Progressive Southern Gospel
– Origins
– Impact of The Gaither Homecoming Series
– Sample Artists
Heavy metal music
– Characteristics
– – Instrumentation
– – Themes
– – Classical influence
– History
– – The term „heavy metal”
– – Origins (1960s and early 1970s)
– – Classic Heavy Metal (Late 1970s and early 1980s)
– – Mainstream Dominance (1980s)
– – Underground Metal (1980s, 1990s, and 2000s)
– – Alternative Metal / Nu-Metal (1990s and 2000s)
– Cultural impact
– Related styles
– Heavy metal dance
– Sources
Bay Area thrash metal
– Summary
– Conclusion
– Notable bands
Florida death metal
– The sound
– Bands
Hip hop music
– Term usage
– Characteristics
– – Rhythmic structure
– – Instrumentation & production
– History
– – Origins
– – Old school hip hop (1970–1986)
– – Golden age hip hop (1986–1993)
– – Modern era of hip hop (1993–present)
– Musical impact
– Social impact
– – Censorship issues
– World hip hop
– Media
– References
Hip hop rivalries
– N.W.A. vs. Ice Cube
– „East Coast vs. West Coast”
– Nas vs. Jay-Z
– Eminem vs. Benzino & The Source
– Boogie Down Productions vs. The Juice Crew
– LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee
– LL Cool J vs. Canibus (and The Refugee Camp)
– Ja Rule vs. 50 Cent
– 50 Cent vs. The Game
– Other known rivalries (not necessarily chronological order)
– Today’s feuds
East Coast – West Coast hip hop rivalry
– Background
– Beginning
– Development
– Other
– Aftermath
Jazz
– History
– – The United States music scene at the start of the 20th century
– – The early New Orleans „jass” style
– – Other regional styles
– – Jazz in the 1920s
– – – Key figures of the decade
– – 1930s to 1950s
– – Development of bebop
– – Latin jazz
– – Free jazz
– – Jazz and rock music: jazz fusion
– – Recent developments
– Improvisation
– References
Asian American jazz
– Musicians associated with the Asian American jazz movement
Dixieland
– History
– Etymology
– Modern Dixieland
– Partial List of Dixieland Musicians
– Festivals
– Periodicals
Swing
– History
– Famous Swing Musicians
R&B
– Original rhythm and blues
– Contemporary R&B
– – History
– – Present day
– Contemporary R&B subgenres
– – Quiet storm
– – New jack swing
– – Hip hop soul
– – Neo soul
– – Funk
– – Disco
– – Hip hop
– What Radio DJs say
Soul music
– The story of soul
– Genres of soul
– – Blue-eyed soul
– – Detroit (Motown) soul and Northern soul
– – Modern soul
– – Southern soul
– – Memphis soul
– – Neo soul
– – Philadelphia soul
– – Psychedelic soul
– References
Chicago soul
Funk
– Characteristics
– History
– – Origin of funk
– – James Brown and funk as a genre
– – 1970s and P-Funk
– – 1980s and stripped-down funk
– – Recent developments
– Further reading
P-Funk
– History of P-Funk
– – Early Development
– – P-Funk Goes To Motown
– – Transition to Funkadelic
– – Arrival of the Collins Brothers
– – The Reemergence of Parliament
– – P-Funk On The Rise
– – Bootsy’s Rubber Band & The P-Funk Family
– – End For The Funk?
– – P-Funk Lives!
– Key figures in the development of the P-Funk sound
– – George Clinton
– – Bootsy Collins
– – Catfish Collins
– – Eddie Hazel
– – Garry Shider
– – Bernie Worrell
– – Glen Goins
– Notable Songs
Memphis soul
Northern soul
– Further reading
– Source
Philadelphia soul
Ragtime
– Historical context
– Styles of ragtime
– Ragtime revivals
– Ragtime composers
– Sources
– Further reading
Rock music
– Origins
– – Rock ‘n’ Roll diversifies
– Early Rock ‘n’ Roll
– – Surf music
– British rock
– – British invasion
– – 1960s garage rock
– Development of a counterculture (1963-1974)
– – Bob Dylan and folk-rock
– – Psychedelic rock
– – Progressive rock
– – Italian prog
– – Birth of heavy metal
– Corporate movements out of the counterculture (the 1970s)
– – Arena rock
– – Soft rock/Pop
– – Classic rock emerging
– – Rock crosses borders
– Disco, punk and New Wave (1973-1981)
– – Disco
– – Punk Rock
– – New Wave
– Rock diversifies in the 1980s
– – Hard rock, glam metal and Instrumental rock
– – Alternative music and the indie movement
– Alternative goes mainstream (the 1990s)
– – Grunge and the anti-corporate rock movement
– – Britpop
– – Indie rock
– – Stoner rock
– Post-grunge and pop punk (1995-2000)
– Present day (2000-Present)
– Social impacts
– Trivia
Punk
– History
– Culture
– – Music
– – Ideology
– – Fashion
– – Dance
– Subcultures within punk
– Cultural relations
– – Subcultures which developed out of punk
– – Subcultures with origins separate from punk
– – Mainstream and popular culture
– Bibliography
Emo
– History
– – The first wave (1985–1994)
– – Early emo’s influence
– – The second wave (1994–2000)
– – The third wave (2000–Present)
– Backlash
– Sources
Hardcore punk
– Overview
– The Big 3
– – Other early notable bands
– Early support
– Negative publicity
– Slam Dancing
– Influence
– Early history in Europe and the UK
– Hardcore in the 1990s
– – Heavy Hardcore
– – Progression and experimentation
– Hardcore today
– References
Grunge music
– Style, roots, and influences
– Mainstream popularity
– Decline of mainstream popularity
– Prominent Seattle area bands
– – Bands from outside the Seattle area
– Notes
– References
Rock and roll
– Precursors and origins
– Early North American rock and roll (1953-1963)
– – Rockabilly
– – Covers
– British rock and roll
– Books
Southern rock
– 1950s and 1960s – Origins
– 1970s – Peak of popularity
– 1980s and on – Continuing influence
– References
Salsa music
– The word salsa
– – Songs and instrumentation
– – Rhythm
– – Lyricism
– History
– – Origins
– – 1960s
– – 1970s
– – 1980s
– – 1990s to the present
– References
– Notes
Surf music
– Surf instrumental
– Surf pop
– – Surf ballads
– – Surf dance music with vocals
– Surf rock
Western music (North America)
– An account of Western Music
– Western Music
– Additional reading
License
GNU Free Documentation License
– GNU Free Documentation License
Index
– American Music
About the author
– Nicolae Sfetcu
– – Contact
Publishing House
– MultiMedia Publishing