Supremely American

Nicholas E. Tawa is professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and the cofounder of the Sonneck Society for American Music.

In this accessibly written volume, Tawa traces the rise of the popular song in twentieth-century America. Songs of the Jazz Age and Swing Era are considered primarily in terms of their relationship to the times, while coverage of the post-WWII era focuses on the diversity of styles that emerged. The public's idolization of particular singers such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra is also discussed.

• Part 1 AcknowledgmentsPart 2 IntroductionChapter 3 1 Preliminary ConsiderationsChapter 4 The 19th Century's CloseChapter 5 The African-American InputChapter 6 The New Breed of SongwritersChapter 7 Going After the PublicChapter 8 Song in the Public ConsciousnessChapter 9 NotesChapter 10 2 A Closer Look at the Jazz AgeChapter 11 Zeroing In on the 1920sChapter 12 Shouters and CroonersChapter 13 The Natural World of Popular SongChapter 14 Songs: Earnest and with FeelingChapter 15 The Torch SongChapter 16 Novelties and Dance SongsChapter 17 Disaster StrikesChapter 18 NotesChapter 19 3 Swing TimeChapter 20 Entertainment CirclesChapter 21 The Swing Era BeginsChapter 22 The Transformation of the SingerChapter 23 Songs for the RecoveryChapter 24 Novelties and Other One-of-a-Kind SongsChapter 25 Serious SongsChapter 26 Light Love SongsChapter 27 The More Sober Love SongsChapter 28 NotesChapter 29 4 Change: Different Music Cultures Come to the ForeChapter 30 The Generational Cold WarChapter 31 Getting Music to Young PeopleChapter 32 African-American MusicChapter 33 Country and WesternChapter 34 Folklike MusicChapter 35 Rockabilly and the Start of Rock 'n' RollChapter 36 NotesChapter 37 5 White-American and British Songs in a Decade of TurmoilChapter 38 Traditional Popular MusicChapter 39 Varieties of Country MusicChapter 40 The CountercultureChapter 41 Folk to Folk-RockChapter 42 California DreamingChapter 43 The British InvasionChapter 44 NotesChapter 45 6 Black-American Music Comes to the Fore in the 1960sChapter 46 Soul MusicChapter 47 FunkChapter 48 MotownChapter 49 NotesChapter 50 7 Out of the SeventiesChapter 51 Traditional Popular Music in the Seventies and BeyondChapter 52 Country and Western in the SeventiesChapter 53 The Rise of the Singer-SongwriterChapter 54 Reggae Migrates to the United StatesChapter 55 Disco and the Urge to DanceChapter 56 The Rebellious Posture: Heavy MetalChapter 57 Progressive to PunkChapter 58 NotesChapter 59 8 The Eighties and NinetiesChapter 60 Country and Western PersistsChapter 61 Changes in the Musical LandscapeChapter 62 Celebrities in the Adolescent ArenaChapter 63 New Options: Grunge, Alternative, and IndieChapter 64 Hip-Hop and Rap Take OverChapter 65 NotesChapter 66 9 A Temporary EndingChapter 67 Popular Culture at the Turn of the CenturyChapter 68 CounterthrustChapter 69 The Onset of the Older FanChapter 70 In ConclusionChapter 71 NotesPart 72 Selected BibliographyPart 73 IndexPart 74 About the Author