A Guide to Popular Music Reference Books: An Annotated Bibliography

by Gary Haggerty

Overview

A guide to locating information on popular music and the people who create it, this volume is designed as a desk reference—to locate answers to specific questions and to direct library users to key resources. More than 400 comprehensive titles are carefully annotated, describing content, scope, and special features. The focus is on the musical styles that have developed measurable commercial success through recordings and live performance. Along with academic titles, many important titles from the popular press are included, as well as selected electronic resources. A necessary reference tool for any library, scholar, student, and popular music buff.

The work covers bibliographies, indexes, discographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias, biographical resources, directories, almanacs, yearbooks, and guidebooks on styles that include jazz, swing, Tin Pan Alley, country, gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, soul, rockabilly, rock, heavy metal, musical theater, and film music. Its extensive appendices feature discographies and bibliographies of individual artists and ensembles. A detailed index combining authors, titles, and subjects makes cross-referencing easy. The entries are modeled after the immensely useful

The Guide to Reference Books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313296611
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/30/1995
Series:	Music Reference Collection , #47
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

GARY HAGGERTY is Assistant Library Director at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is a specialist in contemporary popular music and is a professional performing musician. He holds degrees in music and library science.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Bibliographies
Indexes to Periodicals
Indexes to Printed and Recorded Music
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Biographies
Dictionaries of Terms
Directories
General Discographies
Critical Discographies
Guidebooks
Almanacs and Chronologies
Yearbooks
Miscellaneous
Appendix A: Individual Discographies
Appendix B: Individual Bibliographies
Appendix C: Electronic Resources
Index

Editorial Reviews

Haggerty defines popular music broadly, encompassing such styles as big band, pop, rock, metal, rap, country, jazz, and blues. He seems to exclude, however, world music and reggae. His book is arranged by format, including dictionaries and encyclopedias, biographies, indexes, discographies, and guidebooks. Titles range from newer books such as the bibliography "Rock Stars/Pop Stars" to older works such as Shapiro's "Popular Music". The 427 entries have full citations, including pagination, LCCN, ISBN, and LC call number. Annotations range from 50 to 225 words and describe format and content. When possible, sources of reviews in library media are noted. There are three appendixes--a 29-page list of discographies for individual performers, a two-page list of bibliographies on performers, and a list of electronic reference sources for music. An index concludes the book with access points by author, title, and subject This will be a useful book for collection development. In large popular-music collections, it might help narrow in on possible sources for answering questions. Recommended for large and developing popular-music collections.

Zom Zoms

A desk reference to contemporary and standard bibliographies, indexes, dictionaries, encyclopedic collections of biographies, directories, discographies, and other references devoted to popular music. Jazz, throughout its development, receives considerable attention. Includes several handy appendices. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews