American Popular Music

American popular music has had a profound effect on music across the world. The country has seen the rise of popular styles that have had a significant influence on global culture, including ragtime, blues, rock, bluegrass, country, R&B, funk, punk, disco, and hip hop.

Destiny Discover Collection

See all the resources below along with all the physical books in our collection that relate to American popular music.

Databases:

• Britannica Launchpacks - Social Studies: combines up-to-date, curriculum-aligned content sets with tools that make it easier for teachers to differentiate instruction and for students to understand core K-12 Social Studies topics. 

• Britannica School: Students can toggle between 3 reading levels on each article, have articles read aloud, and use Merriam-Websters’s double click dictionary to hear words pronounced and read their definitions in English or Spanish. Each article can also be translated into over 80 languages. 

• Gale in Context - Middle School: Gale Research in Context is for student researchers in grades 6-8. Cultures, government, people, U.S. history, sports, world history, geography, literature, science, and social issues relevant to middle school students as well as science experiments.

• Gale OneFile - Pop Culture Studies: Pop culture is all around us and influences our lives every day. For any social sciences, history, art, or liberal arts researcher, the Pop Culture Collection provides useful information from over two million articles found in over100 subject-appropriate, full-text periodicals that are updated daily.

• World Book Student: Tailored for students in elementary and middle schools, Student includes all the articles from the print versions of the World Book Encyclopedia, plus thousands of additional articles, learning resources, and research tools.

Websites:

• Berklee Online - Trap Music: Where It Came from and Where It’s Going: If you Google the phrase “best trap songs,” you are likely to see a lot of EDM music by white male artists. For the true pioneers and artists of authentic trap music, the recognition is hardly there, and this goes way beyond search engines.

• The Kennedy Center - Hip Hop: A Culture of Vision and Voice: Hip Hop is global, lapping on every shore and landing at every airport. But what does Hip Hop mean? Is it the music with a chest-thumping beat? The rapid-fire lyrics rapped into a handheld mic? Gravity-defying dance steps? Writers turning walls into canvases with larger-than-life letters and illustrations?

• The Library of Congress - Celebrates the Songs of America: In the left menu, click on "Popular Songs of the Day" and then the music genre of your choice to explore this collection! The Songs of America presentation allows you to explore American history as documented in the work of some of our country's greatest composers, poets, scholars, and performers. From popular and traditional songs, to poetic art songs and sacred music, the relationship of song to historical events from the nation's founding to the present is highlighted through more than 80,000 online items. The user can listen to digitized recordings, watch performances of artists interpreting and commenting on American song, and view sheet music, manuscripts, and historic copyright submissions online. The site also includes biographies, essays and curated content, interactive maps, a timeline and teaching resources offering context and expert analysis to the source material.

• The Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage - Tell It Like It Is: A History of Rhythm and Blues: Folklife Magazine explores how culture shapes our lives. We publish stories about music, food, craft, language, celebrations, activism, and the individuals and communities who sustain these traditions.

• The Smithsonian Institution - The Blues: One of the most influential styles of American music, the Blues is a living tradition with multiple regional styles. Have a listen with the Sounds of the American Blues and The Roots of Rhythm & Blues playlists from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and explore our blues-related collection items.

Biographies:

Blues:

• Biography.com - B.B. King: King of the Blues. B.B. King began as a disc jockey in Memphis before finding fame as a blues and R&B guitarist, with hits like "The Thrill Is Gone.

• Universal Music Group - B.B. King: The official website.

• Biography.com - Muddy Waters: American singer and guitarist Muddy Waters may have been born in Mississippi, but he defined Chicago blues with songs like "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man."

Bluegrass:

• Bonnie Raitt: The band's official website.

• The Infamous Stringdusters: The band's official website.

• Molly Tuttle: The official website.

Early Country (50s-70s):

• Biography.com - Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, was a singer, guitarist and songwriter whose music innovatively mixed country, rock, blues and gospel influences.

• Biography.com - John Denver: John Denver was a folk music singer-songwriter who had numerous hits including "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Rocky Mountain High."

• Biography.com - Dolly Parton: Dolly Parton is a cultural icon whose powerful voice and songwriting skills have established her as a presence on both the country and pop music charts for decades.

• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash was an international ambassador for country music who hewed his own path from the mid-1950s into the twenty-first century, broadening both the scope of country music and its audience.

• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Dolly Parton: Dolly Parton turned success as a country songwriter and singer into not only pop music stardom but also work as an actor, a successful businesswoman, and a philanthropist.

• John Denver: The official estate management website.

Modern Country (2000s):

• Biography.com - Miranda Lambert: Miranda Lambert is a Grammy Award-winning country music star and singer-songwriter known for albums like 'Kerosene,' 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' and 'Platinum. 

• Biography.com - Thomas Rhett: Country star Thomas Rhett is known for songs like "Marry Me" and "Die a Happy Man." His third album, 'Life Changes' topped the charts upon its release in 2017.

• Biography.com - Darius Rucker: Darius Rucker is a singer/songwriter known as the frontman of the musical group Hootie & the Blowfish and as a solo country artist.

• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Zac Brown Band: Use the interdisciplinary Tool Kit to introduce students to the Zac Brown Band through activities featuring philanthropy, musical interpretation, and cultural influences. The Digital Resource Portal highlights songs, videos, photos, and band member biographies.

• Zac Brown Band: The band's official website.

Country Trap: 

• Biography.com: Nelly: Nelly is an American rapper and singer known for such hits as 'Country Grammar' and 'Dilemma.'

Disco:

• Abba: The band's official website.

• Biography.com - Barry Gibb: A successful singer and songwriter, Barry Gibb has sold millions of records as a member of the Bee Gees.

• Biography.com - The Bee Gees: How Three Small-Town Brothers Became Leaders of the 70s and 80s Music Scene: A talent for harmonizing carried the "Stayin' Alive" singers from the streets of Manchester, England, to the doorstep of fame in Australia.

• Biography.com - Anni-Frid Lyngstad: Norwegian singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad and her band, ABBA, became an overnight sensation in 1974 with their first hit single, "Waterloo."

• Biography.com - Donna Summer: Donna Summer was a singer-songwriter who became the "Queen of Disco" in the 1970s with such hits as 'Love to Love You Baby,' 'I Feel Love' and 'Last Dance.'

• Newsweek - Donna Summer: The Life Story You May Not Know.

Folk:

• Biography.com - Joan Baez: Joan Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter and activist who is best known for songs like 'There But for Fortune,' 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' and 'Diamonds and Rust.' 

• Biography.com - Tracy Chapman: American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman received wide fame in the late 1980s and 1990s with songs like "Give Me One Reason" and "Fast Car."

• Joan Baez: The official website.

• Judy Collins: The official website.

Funk:

• Biography.com - Prince: American musician Prince achieved worldwide fame in the 1980s with '1999' and 'Purple Rain,' the latter album also serving as the soundtrack for the popular film of the same name.

• Biography.com - Stevie Wonder: Stevie Wonder is an American musician and a former child prodigy who became one of the most creative musical figures of the 20th century with hits like "My Cherie Amour," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Superstition."

• Earth, Wind, & Fire: The band's official website.

• Kool & the Gang: The band's official website.

Early Hip-Hop/Rap (80s-90s):

• Biography.com - Tupac Shakur: Tupac Shakur was embroiled in a feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers and was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1996, leaving behind an influential musical legacy at the age of 25.

• Biography.com - Biggie Smalls: Biggie Smalls, also known as "The Notorious B.I.G.," was a revered hip-hop artist and face of East Coast gangsta rap. He was shot and killed on March 9, 1997.

• Grandmaster Flash: The official website.

Modern Hip-Hop/Rap (2000s):

• Biography.com - Drake: TV and rap star Drake is best known in Canada for playing wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks on 'Degrassi: The Next Generation,' and for hit songs like "Take Care," "One Dance" and "Hotline Bling."

• Biography.com - Eminem: Eminem is an American rapper, record producer and actor known as one of the most controversial and best-selling artists of the early 21st century.

• Biography.com - Jay-Z: In addition to his award-winning hip-hop albums, Jay-Z is known for an array of successful business interests, as well as his marriage to singer Beyoncé.

• Biography.com - Kendrick Lamar: Kendrick Lamar is an award-winning rapper and songwriter best known for his innovative take on life in Southern California as well as for his affiliation with rap star and super-producer Dr. Dre.

Pop:

• BBC News - Adele: The full story. 

• Biography.com - Adele: Singer Adele is a Grammy Award-winning artist whose throwback, soulful sound has made her an international success with hits like "Rolling in the Deep," "Someone Like You" and "Hello."

• Biography.com - Harry Styles: English-born singer Harry Styles rose to fame as one of the five members of the boy band One Direction. He launched his solo career in 2016 and made his acting debut in the 2017 film 'Dunkirk.' 

• Biography.com - Mariah Carey: With hits such as "Vision of Love" and "I Don't Wanna Cry," singer Mariah Carey holds the record for most No. 1 debuts in Billboard Hot 100 history.

• Biography.com - Michael Bublé: Michael Bublé is a Grammy-winning singer from Canada whose style is inspired by the likes of greats Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.

• Biography.com - Taylor Swift: Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Taylor Swift made a splash in the country music world in 2006 and has gone on to become one of the top acts in popular music.

Rock: 

• Biography.com - Ozzy Osbourne: British musician Ozzy Osbourne fronted the heavy metal band Black Sabbath before embarking on a successful solo career. He later became a reality TV star with 'The Osbournes.'

• Black Sabbath: The band's official website.