Tag Archives: Music in American Life

April 4, 2017

Happy Birthday, Muddy Waters

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Longing for that down home music? Looking for a shot of brilliance? Tryin’ to forget that you asked for water and your woman/man gave you gasoline? Then you must be celebrating the 100th birthday (or it might be the 102nd birthday) of McKinley Morganfield, … Continue reading →

October 10, 2016

Sa-lute! to Penny Parsons

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Last week, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) named UIP author Penny Parsons Bluegrass Print/Media Person of the Year. A tireless music journalist, Parsons also published Foggy Mountain Troubadour: The Life and Music of Curly Seckler, an account of the … Continue reading →

July 21, 2016

Throwbacklist Thursday: Sounds of Joy

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The UIP catalog includes an immense store of knowledge about American music. We don’t publish blog posts on Sunday morning, so we’re taking this beautiful Thursday to point the way to some offerings on sacred music–the practitioners, history, and theory, … Continue reading →

July 20, 2016

Release Party: A Cole Porter Companion

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If Harold Arlen built a reputation for chronicling love on the rocks, Cole Porter gained lasting fame and the adulation of a grateful culture for his celebrations of successful romance. Oh, the man worked the cloudier side of the street, with “Ev’ry Time … Continue reading →

July 8, 2016

You the Mancini

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Successful beyond belief in his chosen trade of making soundtrack music, Henry Mancini also enjoyed good fortune (made one, too) with forays into the pop charts. When he hit, he hit big. His Theme from Peter Gunn not only sold … Continue reading →

March 10, 2016

Throwbacklist Thursday: Furry’s People

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in African American Studies, music, photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Throwbacklist Thursday: Furry’s People

“Virtuosity in playing blues licks is like virtuosity in celebrating the Mass, it is empty, it means nothing. Skill—competence—is a necessity, but a true blues player’s virtue lies in his acceptance of his life, a life for which he is … Continue reading →

February 17, 2016

When the clock strikes rock

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One of the most important singles in American music history, “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets was the B-side of his first Decca single, a post-apocalyptic novelty tune called “Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in Town).” Like … Continue reading →

September 24, 2015

Throwbacklist Thursday

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The University of Illinois Press thinks country and western music hung the moon. Our list of C&W books reads like a who’s who of that musical form’s rhinestone-studded history. You want singers? Our bill features hitmakers and hip shakers like the Singing Sheriff Faron … Continue reading →