Black History: Music

Explore African American history through musical traditions with essential academic works selected by RCL editors. Resources for College Libraries (RCL) features 90,000+ core titles for academic libraries, curated by Choice/ACRL subject specialists and available at rclweb.net.

Updated January 2, 2026
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The power of Black music interpreting its history from Africa to the United States
Floyd, Samuel A.
Paper Book
When Jimi Hendrix transfixed the crowds of Woodstock with his gripping version of "The Star Spangled Banner," he was building on a foundation reaching back, in part, to the revolutionary guitar playing of Howlin' Wolf and the other great Chicago bluesmen, and to the Delta blues tradition before him....
Blues, funk, rhythm and blues, soul, hip hop, and rap a research and information guide
Meadows, Eddie S.
Paper Book
Despite the influence of African American music and study as a worldwide phenomenon, no comprehensive and fully annotated reference tool currently exists that covers the wide range of genres. This much needed bibliography fills an important gap in this research area and will prove an...
Black noise : rap music and black culture in contemporary America
Rose, Tricia.
Paper Book
A comprehensive look at the lyrics, music, cultures, themes, and styles of rap music. Winner of the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation (1995) From its beginnings in hip hop culture, the dense rhythms and aggressive lyrics of rap music...
Spirits rejoice! : jazz and American religion
Bivins, Jason
Ebook
In Spirits Rejoice! Jason Bivins explores the relationship between American religion and American music, and the places where religion and jazz have overlapped.Much writing about jazz tends toward glorified discographies or impressionistic descriptions of the actual sounds. Rather than providing a...

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