Further Reading
If you would like to read more about American musicians’ involvement with socio-political causes, the books below provided the background to this exhibit and provide an excellent starting point.
Brown, Courtney. Politics in Music: Music and Political Transformation from Beethoven to Hip-Hop. Atlanta, GA: Farsight Press, 2008.
Comtois, Kevin. Troubadours & Troublemakers: The Evolution of American Protest Music. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.
Friedman, Jonathan C. The Routledge History of Social Protest in Popular Music. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013.
Garofalo, Reebee. Rockin’ the Boat: Mass Music and Mass Movements. Boston, MA: South End Press, 1992.
Lynskey, Dorian. 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs from Billie Holiday to Green Day. New York: Ecco Press, 2011.
Peddie, Ian. The Resisting Muse: Popular Music and Social Protest. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2006.
Phull, Hardeep. Story Behind the Protest Song: A Reference Guide to the 50 Songs That Changed the 20th Century. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008.
Schreiber, Brad. Music is Power: Popular Songs, Social Justice, and the Will to Change. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2020.
Sullivan, James. Which Side are you on? 20th Century American History in 100 Protest Songs. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.
Walley, David. No Commercial Potential: The Saga of Frank Zappa. New York, NY: Da Capo Press, 1996.
Weissman, Dick. Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution: Music and Social Change in America. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 2010.