Music: Get Started
Recommended Reference Collections
If you're looking for some alternatives to Wikipedia, try searching for information in these collections of reference books. You'll be able to check facts and learn context for any number of topics.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
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A searchable collection of encyclopedias and other references sources. - Grove Music Online This link opens in a new window
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A compendium of music scholarship offering the full texts of several Grove dictionaries on music topics.
- Garland Encyclopedia of World MusicA comprehensive online resource devoted to music research of all the world's peoples. Also available in print in Tacoma Reference at ML100 .G16 1998 v.1-10
- Encyclopedia of Popular MusicFeaturing a broad musical scope covering popular music of all genres and periods from 1900 to the present day, including jazz, country, folk, rap, reggae, techno, musicals, and world music.
Rock
Encyclopedia of heavy metal music by Summary: Providing an extensive overview of the music, fashion, films, and philosophies behind the movement, this source chronicles the history and development of heavy metal and related genres.
Encyclopedia of indie rock by Call Number: ML102.R6 S63 2008Summary Details the history and development of indie rock, providing students, scholars, and music fans with an extensive overview of the musical and cultural phenomenon.
Encyclopedia of punk music and culture by Summary: Examines punk rock and its evolution through the decades, providing an extensive overview of the music, fashion, films, and philosophies behind this movement.
Icons of rock: an encyclopedia of the legends who changed music forever by Summary: An overview of rock's pervasive role in the United States by profiling the lives and work of the music's most legendary artists.
The Greenwood encyclopedia of rock history by Summary: A six-volume exploring the ways that rock music has shaped American culture.
Women and music in America since 1900: an encyclopedia by Summary: Describes the role of women in all forms of music in the U.S. since 1900, covering individuals, gender issues, education, music genres, honors and awards, organizations, and other topics.
Rap & Hip Hop
Icons of hip hop: an encyclopedia of the movement, music, and culture by Summary: From Run DMC to Eminem, this encyclopedia uncoves the histories of important artists both inside and outside the hip-hop mainstream, all while examining the varied and ever-changing forms of the music.
Encyclopedia of rap and hip-hop culture by Call Number: ML102.R27 B96 2006Summary: Numerous essay entries covering U.S.-Mexico border history, culture, and politics.
World Music
Caribbean popular music: an encyclopedia of reggae, mento, ska, rock steady, and dancehall by Summary: Singers, songwriters, history, culture, and even fashions of reggae and Caribbean music.
Encyclopedia of world pop music, 1980-2001 by Call Number: F1410 .E56 2002Summary:Chronicles the careers of over 110 musical artists from 37 different nations.
Blues, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues
Encyclopedia of the blues by Call Number: ML102.B6 E53 2006 v.1-2Summary: A scholarly approach to the blues, covering performers, musical styles, regions, record labels, and cultural aspects of the blues including race and gender issues.
Richard Cook's jazz encyclopedia by Call Number: ML102.J3 C66 2005Summary: Tracks the history of jazz and its changing styles and terminology, with including sixty pages of photos, more more than 2,000 entries on jazz artists and band, and definitions of key terms.
Icons of R&B and soul: an encyclopedia of the artists who revolutionized rhythm by Call Number: F1234 .D364 2002Summary: An overview of the rhythm and blues's impact on American culture and how it reflected contemporary society's politics, trends, and social issues, with an emphasis on its principal artists and innovators.
