Summary: Imagine a world in which gospel, the blues, jazz, R & B, and rock 'n' roll didn't exist. These indigenous American musical forms are the product of, and a moving expression of the African American experience. Musical geniuses and innovators like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, B.B. King, and Jimi Hendrix turned individual and collective histories of suffering and injustice into...
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Enslow Publishing 2018
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Juvenile Nonfiction, Call number: J 920 AFRMassarutto, Flavio
Summary: ""I play what I am. I play Mingus." Bass player and pianist, composer and band leader, Charles Mingus is universally recognized as one of the greatest musicians in the history of jazz. An overflowing talent, who experienced the last fires of the swing age, the Be Bop revolution, the experimental seasons of Third Stream and Jazz Poetry up to Free Jazz. But he was also a tormented and angry soul,...
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: NBM Graphic Novels, Nantier, Beall, Minoustchine 2023
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Adult Graphic Novels, Call number: 921 MINGUS, CHARLES MASHarris, Duchess
Summary: Motown music emerged in the United States in the 1960s. It launched the careers of many African American musicians. Motown music shaped culture and society during the American civil rights movement. The Making of Motown explores the history and legacy of Motown. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Core Library, an imprint of Abdo Publishing 2019
Copies Available at Peninsula
1 available in Juvenile, Call number: J338.761 HARTinsley, Justin
Summary: "The Notorious B.I.G. was one of the most charismatic and talented artists of the 1990s. Born Christopher Wallace and raised in Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, Biggie lived an almost archetypal rap life: young trouble, drug dealing, guns, prison, a giant hit record, the wealth and international superstardom that came with it, then an early violent death. Biggie released his first record, Ready...
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Abrams Press 2022
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Adult Non-fiction, Call number: 921 SMALLS, BIGGIE TINSummary: This film profiles Chester Burnett, better known as the Howlin' Wolf. It includes an incredible compendium of never-before-seen footage of the Howlin' Wolf.
Format: moving image
Publisher / Publication Date: Blue Sea Productions 2003
Copies Available at Woodmere
2 available in Music DVDs, Call number: DVD MUSIC HOWCachin, Olivier
Summary: Shares brief biographies of forty influential black musicians, including James Brown, The Fugees, and Rihanna.
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Wide Eyed Editions 2019
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Juvenile Nonfiction, Call number: J 782.42 CACSummary: "Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, folklorist William Ferris toured his home state of Mississippi, documenting the voices of African Americans as they spoke about and performed the diverse musical traditions that form the roots of the blues. This DVD features seven films made by Ferris between 1968 and...
Format: moving image
Publisher / Publication Date: 2018
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Documentary DVDs, Call number: DVD DOC EARMedina, Nico
Summary: Presents the life of one of the bestselling artists of all time, from her start singing in front of her father's Baptist congregation to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House 2018
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Juvenile Nonfiction, Call number: J 921 FRAEdgerton, Clyde
Summary: In 1963, Dwayne Hallston discovers James Brown and wants to perform just like him. Meanwhile, Dwayne's forbidden black friend Larry, aspiring to play piano like Thelonius Monk, apprentices to a jazz musician called the Bleeder. A mutual passion for music help Dwayne and Larry as they try to achieve their dreams.
Format: sound recording-nonmusical
Publisher / Publication Date: Recorded Books 2011
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Compact Disc Audio Book, Call number: CD FIC EDGSummary: Celebrate the vibrant jazz, R&B, and soul music of African American artists who, during segregation, created the foundation of modern American music. Like many other Black Americans, they relied on Victor Hugo Green's Negro Travelers' Green Book, a directory of lodgings, restaurants, and entertainment venues where African Americans were safe and welcomed. Now explore the history of this...
Format: moving image
Publisher / Publication Date: 2023
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in E-TV DVDs, Call number: DVD E-TV MUSSummary: The true story of the Temptations, the vocal soul group of the 1960s, as seen from the viewpoint of the last surviving member, Otis Williams. Beginning from their humble origins in the late '50s and continuing through the '90s and the deaths of the other four members.
Format: moving image
Publisher / Publication Date: RHI Entertainment Inc. 2011
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Television Series DVDs, Call number: DVD TV TEMSummary: "Musician Daryl Davis has an unusual hobby. He's played all over the world with legends like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, but it's what Daryl does in his free time that sets him apart. In an effort to find out how anyone can 'hate me without knowing me' he takes an interesting line of research. Daryl likes to meet and befriend members of the Ku Klux Klan, something few black men can...
Format: moving image
Publisher / Publication Date: First Run Features 2017
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Documentary DVDs, Call number: DVD DOC ACCSmith, Charles R.
Summary: "The story of guitarist Jimi Hendrix's career told in verse"--
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Neal Porter Books/Holiday House 2021
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Juvenile Nonfiction, Call number: J 921 HENBolden, Tonya
Summary: "Before there was Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Johnny Cash, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The godmother of rock & roll started as a little girl from Arkansas with music in her air, in her hair, in her bones, wiggling her toes. With a big guitar in hand and a big voice in her soul, she grew into a rock & roll trailblazer in a time when women were rarely seen rocking out."--Front...
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 2023
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Juvenile Nonfiction, Call number: J 921 THADillon, Leo.
Summary: Synopsis: If you have ever been lucky enough to hear great jazz, then you will understand the pure magic of this book. Leo and Diane Dillon use bright colors and musical patterns that make music skip off the page in this toe-tapping homage to many jazz greats. From Miles Davis and Charlie Parker to Ella Fitzgerald, here is a dream team sure to knock your socks off. Learn about this popular...
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Blue Sky Press 2007
Copies Available at East Bay
1 available in Juvenile Easy, Call number: JE DILKelly, R.
Summary: The R&B performer and producer traces the story of his life and career, describing his battle with a learning disorder, his collaborations with such icons as Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin, and his difficulties with personal and legal challenges.
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Hay House 2011
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Adult Non-fiction, Call number: 921 KELLY, R. KELRussell-Brown, Katheryn
Summary: "A biography of African American musician Melba Doretta Liston, a virtuoso musician who played the trombone and composed and arranged music for many of the great jazz musicians of the twentieth century. Includes afterword, discography, and sources"--
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Lee & Low Books Inc. 2014
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Juvenile Nonfiction, Call number: J 921 LISCopies Available at Peninsula
1 available in Juvenile, Call number: JB LISTON RUSRandall, Alice
Summary: "Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author with a "lively, engaging, and often wise" (The New York Times Book Review) voice, offers a lyrical, introspective, and unforgettable account of her past and her search for the first family of Black country music. Country music had brought Randall and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in...
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Black Privilege Publishing/Atria 2024
Sorry, no copies available
Place a hold to request this item.Summary: Celebrate African American history with this historic collection of stories. Collection includes: Rosa ; Henry's freedom box ; Lincoln and Douglass ; and, Ellington was not a street. Bonus interview with Nikki Giovanni. Bonus interview with Ellen Levine.
Format: moving image
Publisher / Publication Date: 2017
Sorry, no copies available
Place a hold to request this item.Hendrix, Janie
Summary: "This comprehensive visual celebration includes ... an extensive biography of Jimi's remarkable life and career. Additionally, a trove of photographs, vintage memorabilia, and handwritten lyrics, as well as quotes by legendary musicians ... underscore Jimi's inspiring legacy and lasting influence"--Insert.
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Chronicle Chroma 2022
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in New Non-fiction, Call number: OVS 921 HENDRIX, JIMI HENTick, Judith
Summary: A landmark biography that reclaims Ella Fitzgerald as a major American artist and modernist innovator.
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: W.W. Norton and Company 2024
Copies Available at East Bay
1 available in New Non-fiction, Call number: 921 FITSummary: A young man leaves behind his mother and life in a Los Angeles neighborhood and sets out on a journey of self-discovery in Europe during the 1970s in order to find his purpose in life through his music.
Format: moving image
Publisher / Publication Date: IFC Films 2010
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Documentary DVDs, Call number: DVD DOC PASScott-Heron, Gil
Summary: A personal account by the late musician and poet traces the story of his life, career, and history-making 1981 tour at the side of Stevie Wonder to raise support for the establishment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Grove Press 2012
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Adult Non-fiction, Call number: 921 SCOTT-HERON, GIL SCOSummary: Discover the life and music of jazz luminary Ron Carter, the most recorded bassist in history. Filmed over six years, Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes invites viewers to meet the gentleman behind the bass. Best known as the rhythmic anchor in Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet, Carter has since amassed more than 2,500 musical credits over a prolific six-decade career. His unmistakable melody...
Format: moving image
Publisher / Publication Date: 2022