Support H-Net | Buy Books Here | Help Support the NBN and NBN en Español on Patreon | Visit New Books Network en Español!
Most scholars of popular music use songs, artists, and clubs as the key texts and sites in their exploration of the social, cultural, political, and e…
Music is frequently connected to leftist politics and seen as the soundtrack to social protest movements, most notably the civil rights movement. But …
Often, poetry and punk rock are seen as distinct activities that occur in different locations with separate audiences. Many would also ascribe to them…
What is the punk music scene like in Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, or Mongolia? Who listens to punk in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans?…
What is the role of the deejay in shaping hip-hop? Did deejays shape the technology that is used to create the music or were they simply consumers of …
The real story behind the origin of gangsta rap is difficult to discern. Between the bombastic rhetoric and imagery, the larger-than-life characters, …
What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schul…
In her new book The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band (PM Press, 2016), Michelle Cruz Gonzales tells her story as a member of a fe…
The origins of world music can be found in early ethnographic recordings as anthropologists and ethnomusicologists sought to record the songs of lost …
Is hip hop defined by its artists or by its audience? In Home With Hip Hop Feminism, Aisha Durham returns hip hop scholarship to its roots by engaging…
Many people assume that music, especially classical music, is a universal language that transcends racial and class boundaries. At the same time, many…
What do Aretha Franklin, Rodney Dangerfield, and desegregation in New Orleans have in common? Perhaps, surprisingly, the answer is Playboy. Playboy ma…
Much of the scholarship on heavy metal has assumed that the primary audience is straight white males, who are likely sexist and homophobic. In her new…
Who is David Bowie? Fans and critics have debated this question throughout his lengthy and storied career. Chris O'Leary, in his new book Rebel Rebel …
Bruce Springsteen is an American icon, known to his fans as "Bruce" and the "Boss." Springsteen burst onto the American music scene in 1975 with the r…
What is Ska music? This is a deceptively complicated question. In this podcast Heather Augustyn, the author of Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation(Scarec…
Cultural memory of World War II frequently draws on swing music and the USO dance floor as symbols of how the country came together in support of the …
Who are the Clash? How did they become the "only band that matters"? In this podcast, Randal Doane, the author of Stealing All Transmissions: A Secret…
What are female fans of popular music seeking and hearing when they listen to music and attend concerts? In an innovative and fascinating study entitl…
Since the 1990s, the music industry has been going through a massive transformation. After World War II, the primary way audiences participated in the…
During his lifetime, Michael Jackson became a global icon. Michael Jackson was beloved by millions; his journey began as he became a boy star with The…
It is a challenge for all musicians to find success in the modern music industry, but women face unique challenges. Cultural narratives shape how fema…
How did jazz take shape? Why does jazz have so many styles? Why do jazz songs get longer as the twentieth century proceeds? Marc Myers, in his fascina…
Who is Eminem? Is he a violent misogynist, another "white" performer imitating African American musical styles, or is he something else entirely? In h…