This list offers a starting point for the investigation of topics in popular music studies. For further information on specific artists, please see our inductee bios.
Brackett, David. Interpreting Popular Music. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.
Brackett, David. The Pop, Rock and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Brackett, Nathan, and Christian Hoard, eds. Rolling Stone Album Guide. 4th Edition. New York: Fireside, 2004.
Burnim, Mellonee V. and Portia K. Maultsby, eds. African American Music: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2006.
Charlton, Katherine. Rock Music Styles: A History. 4th Edition. Madison, Wisc.: McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Covach, John and Graeme M. Boone, eds. Understanding Rock: Essays in Musical Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Holly George-Warren, Patricia Romanowski, Jon Pareles, eds. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll. New York: Fireside, 2001.
Erlewine, Michael, ed. et al. All Music Guide to Rock: The Expert’s Guide to the Best Rock Recordings in Rock, Pop, Soul, R&B and Rap. 2nd Edition. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 1997.
Emerson, Ken. Doo-Dah!: Stephen Foster and the Rise of American Popular Culture. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.
Frame, Pete. More Rock Family Trees. Omnibus, 1998.
Franklin, John Hope and Alfred A. Moss, Jr. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans. 8th Edition. New York: Knopf, 2000.
Friedlander, Paul. Rock and Roll: A Social History. Boulder: Westview Press, 1996.
Frith, Simon, and Andrew Goodwin, eds. On Record. New York: Routledge, 2000.
Frith, Simon, Will Straw and John Street. The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Gaar, Gillian. She’s A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll. 2nd Edition. Seal Press, 2002.
Garofalo, Reebee, ed. Rockin’ the Boat: Mass Music and Mass Movements. Boston: South End Press, 1992.
Garofalo, Reebee. Rockin’ Out: Popular Music in the U.S.A. 3rd Edition. Needham Hts., MA: Prentice Hall, 2004.
Gracyk, Theodore. Rhythm and Noise: Alt Aesthetics of Rock. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1996.
Graff, Gary, ed. Rock: The Essential Album Guide. 2nd Edition. The Music Hound Series. Detroit & New York, Toronto, London: Music Sales Corporation, 1998.
Green, Jeff. The Green Book of Songs by Subject: The Thematic Guide to Popular Music. 5th edition. Nashville: Professional Desk References, 2002.
Krebs, Gary M. Rock and Roll Reader’s Guide. New York: Billboard Books, 1997.
Hesmondhalgh, David and Keith Negus, ed. Popular Music Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Horner, Bruce and Thomas Swiss, eds. Key Terms in Popular Music and Culture. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1999.
Marcus, Greil. Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock ‘n’ Roll Music. 4th Edition. New York: Plume Books, 1997.
Marsh, Dave, and Kevin Stein. The New Book of Rock Lists. New York: Fireside, 1994.
McDonnell, Evelyn and Ann Powers, eds. Rock She Wrote: Women Write About Rock, Pop and Rap. New York: Cooper Square Press, 1999.
Middleton, Richard ed. Reading Pop: Approaches to Textual Analysis in Popular Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Miller, Jim, James Henke, Holly George-Warren, Anthony Decurtis, eds. The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. 3rd Edition. New York: Random House, 1992.
Moore, Allan F., ed. Analyzing Popular Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Negus, Keith. Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction. Middletown: Weselyan University Press, 1996.
O’Brien, Lucy. She Bop II - The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul 3rd Edition. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004.
The Editors of Rolling Stone Magazine. Rolling Stone Rock Almanac: The Chronicles of Rock & Roll. MacMillan, 1987.
Shuker, Roy. Understanding Popular Music. 2nd Edition. New York: Routledge, 2001.
Sorrell, Richard and Carl Francese. From Tupelo to Woodstock: Youth, Race and Rock & Roll in America 1954-1969. 2nd Edition. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2001.
Starr, Larry and Christopher Waterman. American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Stuessy, Joe and Scott D. Lipscomb. Rock and Roll: Its History and Stylistic Development. 4th Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002.
Taylor, Timothy. Global Pop: World Music, World Markets. New York: Routledge, 1997.
Waksman, Steve. Instruments of Desire: The Electric Guitar and the Shaping of Music Experience. London: Harvard University Press, 1999.
Weinberg, Max with Robert Santelli. The Big Beat - Conversations with Rock’s Greatest Drummers. Chicago: Hudson Music, 2004.
Whitley, Sheila, ed. Sexing the Groove: Popular Music and Gender. New York: Routledge, 1997.
Zollo, Paul. Songwriters on Songwriting. 4th Edition. Da Capo Press, 1991.
Barlow, William. Voice Over: The Making of Black Radio. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1999.
Bowman, Bob. Soulsville USA, The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Books, 2003.
Brabec, Jeffrey and Todd Brabec. Music, Money, and Success: The Insider’s Guide to the Music Industry. 4th Edition. New York: Schirmer Books, 2004.
Dannen, Fredric. Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business. Vintage, 1991.
Goodman, Fred. The Mansion on the Hill: Dylan, Young, Geffen, Springsteen, and the Head-On Collision of Rock and Commerce. Vintage, 1998.
McNutt, Randy and Rick Kennedy. Little Labels: Big Sound, Small Record Companies and the Rise of American Music. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2001.
Negus, Keith. Music Genres and Corporate Cultures. New York: Routledge, 2004.
Passman, Donald K. All You Need to Know About the Music Business. 5th Edition. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Sanjek, Russell and David Sanjek. Pennies from Heaven: The American Popular Music Business in the Twentieth Century. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996.
Barlow, William. Looking Up at Down: The Emergence of Blues Culture. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1989.
Bergreen, Laurence. Louis Armstrong: An Extravagent Life. New York: Broadway Books, 1998.
Chilton, John. Let the Good Times Roll: The Story of Louis Jordan and His Music. University of Michigan Press, 1997.
Davis, Angela Y. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. Vintage, 1999.
Escott, Colin. Hank Williams - The Biography. New York: Little Brown, 1995.
Gioia, Ted. History of Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Gillett, Charlie. The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll. 2nd Edition. Da Capo, 1996.
Gridley, Mark C. Jazz Styles: History and Analysis. 8th Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.
King, B.B. and David Ritz. Blues All Around Me B.B. King. Perennial Currents, 1999.
Jones, LeRoi. Blues People: Negro Music in White America. Perennial, 1999.
Keil, Charles. Urban Blues. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.
Malone, Bill C. Country Music, U.S.A.: A Fifty-Year History. 2nd Edition. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002.
Maultsby, Portia and Mellonee Burnim, eds. African-American Music: An Introduction. Routledge, 2004.
O’Neal, Jim and Amy Van Singel. The Voice of the Blues: Classic Interviews from Living Blues Magazine. New York: Routledge, 2002.
Oliver, Paul. The Story of the Blues. Northeastern University Press, 1998.
Palmer, Robert. Deep Blues - A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta. New York: Penguin Books, 1982.
Reagon, Bernice Johnson. We’ll Understand It Better By and By: Pioneering African-American Gospel Composers. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993.
Sackheim, Eric, compiler. The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters. Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2003.
Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues. New York: Penguin, 2001.
Titon, Jeff Todd. Early Downhome Blues. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994.
Tosches, Nick. Unsung Heroes of Rock ‘n Roll: The Birth of Rock ‘n Roll in the Dark and Wild Years Before Elvis. Da Capo, 1999.
Whitburn, Joel. Pop Memories 1890-1954. Hal Leonard, 1991.
Wolfe, Charles and Kip Lornell. The Life & Legend of Leadbelly. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.
Baker, Houston A. Black Studies, Rap and the Academy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.
Cavicchi, Daniel. Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning Among Springsteen Fans. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Cooper, B. Lee. Images of American Society in Popular Music: A Guide to Reflective Teaching. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1982.
Cooper, B. Lee and Wayne S. Hancy. Rock Music in American Popular Culture III: Rock ‘n’ Roll Resources. New York: Hawroth Press, 1999.
DeCurtis, Anthony, ed. Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1992.
Doss, Erika Lee. Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith, and Image. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1999.
Epstein, Jonathon S., ed. Adolescents and Their Music: It It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old, New York: Garland Publishing, Inc, 1994.
Frith, Simon, ed. Facing the Music. New York: Pantheon, 1988.
Gaines, Donna. Teenage Wasteland: Suburbia’s Dead End Kids. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Gass, Glenn. “Why Don’t We Do It in the Classroom?,” South Atlantic Quarlety, v90n4, Fall 1991, p. 729-736.
Harris, James F. Philosophy at 33 1/3 rpm: Themes of Classic Rock Music. Chicago: Open Court, 1993.
Holm, Gunilla and Paul Farber. “Education, Rock-and-Roll, and the Lyrics of Discontent,” Schooling in the Light of Popular Culture. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994, p.21-40.
Kellner, Douglas. Media Culture. New York: Routledge, 1995.
Koskoff, Ellen ed. Music Culture in the United States: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2005.
Kuzmich, John. “Popular Music in Your Program: Growing with the Times,” Music Educators Journal v77 (April ‘91) p.50-55.
Giroux, Henry and Peter McLaren. Critical Pedagogy, the State , and Cultural Struggle. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1989.
Giroux, Henry and Roger Simon. Popular Culture: Schooling and Everyday Life. New York: Bergin & Garvey, 1989.
Lipsitz, George. Time Passages: Collective Memory and American Popular Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1990.
Marcus, Greil. Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990.
McDonald, James R. “Politics Revisited: Metatextual Implications of Rock and Roll Criticism,” Youth & Society, v19n4 (June 1988) p485-504.
Myers, Robert. “There are right reasons and wrong reasons for studying rock,” The Chronicle of Higher Education v. 36 (Feb. 14 ‘90) p B2-3.
Newsom, Sarah Duncan. “Rock ‘n Roll ‘n Reading,” Journal of Reading v22n8 (May 1979) p 726-30.
Nuzum, Eric. Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America. Perennial Currents, 2001.
Smith, Steven ed. The Lyricist Review: Teaching Lyricism in the Classroom: Making the Transition from Dickinson to Dylan. Americalist, 1998.
Stuessy, Joe. “When the music teacher meets Metallica,” Music Educators Journal v. 80 (Jan. ‘94) p 28-32.
Titon, Jeff Todd, ed. Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World’s Peoples. Belmont: Schirmer, 2002.
Berry, Chuck. The Autobiography. Hal Leonard, 1986.
Brown, Ruth and Andrew Yule. Miss Rhythm: The Autobiography of Ruth Brown, Rhythm and Blues Legend. Diana Publishing Co., 1996.
Cash, Johnny with Patric Carr. Cash: The Autobiography. San Francisco: Harper, 1998.
Charles, Ray, and David Ritz. Brother Ray: Ray Charles’ Own Story. Da Capo, 2004.
Escott, Colin and Martin Hawkins. Good Rockin’ Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991.
Guralnick, Peter. Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley. Back Bay Books, 2000.
Guralnick, Peter. Feel Like Going Home: Portraits in Blues and Rock’n’Roll. Back Bay Books, 1999.
Guralnik, Peter. Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley. Boston: Little-Brown, 1994.
Guralnik, Peter. Lost Highway: Journeys and Arrivals of American Musicians. Back Bay Books, 1999.
Jackson, John A. Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock & Roll. Diane Pub Co., 1991.
Lehmer, Larry. The Day The Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens. New York: Schiermer Books, 2004.
Perkins, Carl and David McGee. Go, Cat, Go! The Life and Times of Carl Perkins. New York: Hyperion, 1996.
Pruter, Robert. Doowop The Chicago Scene. Chicago, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1997.
Streissguth, Michael, ed. Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Reader. Da Capo, 2002.
Tosches, Nick. Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story. Grove Press, 1997.
White, Charles. The Life and Times of Little Richard. Omnibus Press, 2003.
Abbott, Kingsley, ed. Back to the Beach, a Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys Reader. Helter Skelter Publishing, 2002.
Barnes, Richard. The Who: Maximum R & B. Plexus Publishing, 2004.
Booth, Stanley. The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones. New York: Vintage Books, 1985.
Brightman, Carol. Sweet Chaos: The Grateful Dead’s American Adventure. Pocket, 1999.
Bromell, Nicholas. Tomorrow Never Knows: Rock and Psychedelics in the 1960s. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Brown, James with Bruce Tucker. James Brown: The Godfather of Soul. Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2003.
Cantwell, Robert. When We Were Good: The Folk Revival. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997.
Clemente, John. Girl Groups: Fabulous Females That Rocked the World. Iola: Krause Publications, 2000.
Coleman, Ray. Clapton! New York: Warner Books, 1988.
Coleman, Ray. Lennon: The Definitive Biography. Perennial Currents, 1992.
Davies, Hunter. The Beatles. 2nd Edition. W.W. Norton & Company, 2004.
Dylan, Bob. Chronicles, Vol. 1. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
Dylan, Bob. Lyrics: 1962-2001. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
Early, Gerald. One Nation Under a Groove: Motown and American Culture. University of Michigan Press, 2004.
Echols, Alice. Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin. Owl Books, 2000.
Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Fox, Ted. Showtime at the Apollo: The Story of Harlem’s World Famous Theater. Mill Road Enterprises, 2003.
Friedman, Myra. Buried Alive: The Biography of Janis Joplin. Three Rivers Press, 1992.
Gaines, Steven. Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys. Da Capo Press, 1995.
Gans, David. Conversations with the Dead: The Grateful Dead Interview Book. Da Capo Press, 2002.
George, Nelson. The Death of Rhythm and Blues. Penguin, 2003.
Guralnick, Peter. Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm & Blues & the Southern Dream of Freedom. Back Bay Books, 1999.
Haralambos, Michael. Soul Music: The Birth of a Sound in Black America. New York: Da Capo Press, Inc., 1985.
Henke, James, ed. I Want To Take You Higher: The Psychedelic Era 1965-1969. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1997.
Hirshey, Gerri. Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994.
Joplin, Laura. Love, Janis. New York: Perennial, 2005.
Lesh, Phil. Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead. Little, Brown, 2005.
Marcus, Greil. Like A Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads. PublicAffairs, 2005.
Marsh, Dave. Before I Get Old: The Story of The Who. Plexus Publishing, 2003.
Martin, George, with Jeremy Hornsby. All You Need Is Ears. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994.
Murray, Charles Shaar. Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix and the Post-War Rock and Roll Revolution. St. Martin’s Press, 1991.
Neill, Andrew and Matthew Kent. Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of The Who (1958-1978). Friedman, 2002.
Norman, Philip. Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation. Fireside, 2003.
Pichaske, David. A Generation in Motion: Popular Music and Culture in the Sixties. Ellis Press, 1989.
Ribowsky, Mark. He’s A Rebel: The Truth About Phil Spector — Rock and Roll’s Legendary Madman. Cooper Square Press, 2000.
Sanchez, Tony. Up and Down with the Rolling Stones. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996.
Scaduto, Anthony. Bob Dylan. Helter Skelter Publshing, 2001.
Schumacher, Michael. Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton. Citadel Press, 2003.
Shapiro, Harry. Electric Gypsy: Jimi Hendrix. St. Martin’s, 1995.
Sounes, Howard. Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan. New York: Grove Press, 2002.
Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Sixties. Menonomee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research, Inc., 1995.
Aerosmith with Stephen Davis. Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith. New York: Avon Books, 1999.
Bockris, Victor. Up-Tight: The Velvet Underground Story. Cooper Square Press, 2003.
Bowman, David. This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of the Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century. Perennial Currents, 2002.
Davis, Stephen. Bob Marley. Schenkman Books Inc., 1988.
Davis, Stephen. Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga. Berkley Publishing Group, 2001.
Hebdige, Dick. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. Routledge, 1981.
Laing, Dave. One Chord Wonders. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1985.
Macan, Edward. Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
McNeil, Legs and Gillian McCain. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. Penguin Books, 1997.
Ritz, David. Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye. New York: Da Capo Press, 2003.
Rose, Tricia. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Wesleyan University Press, 1994.
Savage, Jon. England’s Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock and Beyond. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002.
Schaffner, Nicholas. Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey. Delta, 1992.
Walser, Robert. Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music. Hanover, N.H.: Wesleyan University Press, 1993.
White, Timothy. Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley. Owl Books, 1998.
Zappa, Frank and Peter Occhiogrosso. The Real Frank Zappa Book. Fireside, 1990.
Berelian, Essi. A Rough Guide to Heavy Metal. Rough Guides, 2005.
Forman, Murray and Mark Anthony Neal, editors. That’s the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. Routledge Press, 2004.
Fricke, Jim and Charlie Ahearn. “Yes Yes Y’all - The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hop’s First Decade”. Da Capo Press, 2002.
Klosterman, Chuck. Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota. Scribner, 2002.
Lee, Tommy, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Vince Neil. The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band. Regan Books, 2002.
Light, Alan (ed.). The Vibe History of Hip-Hop. Three Rivers Press, 1999.
Loder, Kurt. Bat Chain Puller: Rock and Roll in the Age of Celebrity. Cooper Square Press, 2003.
Rettenmund, Matthew. “Totally Awesome 80s: A Lexicon of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV Shows, Stars, and Trends of that Decadent Decade”. St. Martin’s Griffin, 1996.
Sexton, Adam. Desperately Seeking Madonna: In Search of the Meaning of the World’s Most Famous Woman. Delta, 1992.
Weinstein, Deena. Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture. De Capo Press, 2000.
Azerrad, Michael. Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Main Street Books, 1993.
Brewster, Bill and Frank Broughton. Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. New York: Grove Press, 2000.
Cepeda, Raquel, ed. “And It Don’t Stop!” The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years. New York: Faber and Faber, Inc., 2004.
Chang, Jeff. Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. St. Martin’s Press, 2005.
Chuck D with Yusaf Jah. Fight the Power: Rap, Race, and Reality. Delta, 1998.
Dyson, Michael Eric. Between God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness to Black Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
George, Nelson. Hip Hop America. Penguin, 1998.
Kitwana, Bakari. The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture. New York: BasicCivitas Books, 2002.
Kitwana, Bakari. Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wangstas, Wiggers, Wannabes, and the New Reality of Race in America. New York: BasicCivitas Books, 2005.
Phish. The Phish Book. Villard, 1999.
Price, Emmett. Hip-Hop Culture. ABC-CLIO, 2006.
Rose, Tricia. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Wesleyan University Press, 1993.
Thornton, Sarah. Club Cultures: Music, Media and Subcultural Capital. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 1996.
True, Everett. Live Through This: American Rock Music in the Nineties. Virgin, 2002.
