Today our 1915: Whatta Year! series turns to pop culture colossus Frank Sinatra, born on December 12 of that storied year in Hoboken, New Jersey. “Ol Blue Eyes” made his name with his voice, […]
Tag: music
Like a huwwicane
Monday marked the 75th anniversary of Bugs Bunny’s first appearance. Icon and Coyote-level mischief maker, tormentor of ducks and Fudds and violent cowboys, Bugs tapped into all kinds of pop […]
Blues you can’t lose
Today our 1915: Whatta Year! series turns to musician Willie Dixon, born on this date 100 years ago. Dixon brought the term “Hoochie Coochie man” to the mainstream and, oh, yeah, along […]
Trivia Wednesday
The average person considers a university press a rather humorless concern. Just look at a catalog and you’ll see pages of works by serious scholars, many of whom insist on addressing the […]
Congratulations to Neil Rosenberg
Tonight, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) will induct folklorist, musician, bluegrass historian, and University of Illinois Press author Neil V. Rosenberg into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame at […]
Beyond “El Paso”: a story song survey
Story songs had won love from an admiring public since the days when drunken Vikings flung wandering skalds into a nearby volcano. When the wireless came along, story songs filled […]
“James Brown is a freedom I created for humanity”
The release of the film Get On Up in early August rekindled interest in the life and music of James Brown. One of the most staggeringly influential entertainers in American […]
Stephen Wade on WGN-TV
Stephen Wade, author the recent book The Beautiful Music All Around Us: Field Recordings and the American Experience, was a guest on the April 8, 2013, edition of WGN-TV’s Midday News. […]
Publishers Weekly reviews “Record Makers and Breakers”
The November 17, 2008, issue of Publishers Weekly includes an enthusiastic review of John Broven’s forthcoming book Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneers (February […]
Hazel Dickens radio interview
NPR affiliate WJFF Radio Catskill will air a segment featuring an interview with Hazel Dickens at 12:00 noon eastern time on Tuesday, April 15, 2008. Listen live, or via the station […]