Popular Music in America: And The Beat Goes On

by Michael Campbell

This refreshingly current, fascinating book examines the roots and history of American popular music chronologically, from 1840 to the present. With a focus on basic music fundamentals as well as the elements of each style, POPULAR MUSIC IN THE BEAT GOES ON, Third Edition, examines the heritage and diversity of popular music; the underlying kinship among its many styles; and the evolution of popular music from minstrel show music to rap and alternative. The opening chapter uses a familiar musical example to introduce readers to the elements of popular music.

Genres: Music, History

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 1996

Reviews

[Acenith Claassen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the journey through music and time. The only critique I would offer is to the authors fascination and fixation on certain things and therefore his attribution to them for all that is music. This fixation, perhaps inadvertently works to detract from the contributions of certain factions in popular music, and lay the lions share of its development over the decades.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content was interesting, but the text was quite dry, even for a textbook. It also omitted a lot of important content (how can you overlook the impact Johnny Cash had on music at the time?)

Overall it was a good book, but the professor made the class fun, not the textbook.

[Skylar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, comprehensive read on history of music that is quite educational. Some sections too brief for my liking, and there seemed to be a bias between which musicians to reference their controversies. Still, learned far mire than I would have thought I would.