Popular Music Resources


On this page:

Where to begin

A good source for an overview or background information on many aspect of popular music is the Encyclopedia of Popular Music This resource features 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. Also available in print in the Music Reference Area (ML102 P66G84 2007)

Other good resources

Grove Music Online

The Garland encyclopedia of World Music. Music Reference ML100 G37

Browse the collection

Below are general call number ranges good for browsing. The ML's and MT's are located on the second floor about the Music and Media Desk

Popular Music by Region or Country
ML3470 General
ML3477 United States
ML3484 Canada
ML3485 Mexico
ML3486 Cuba

By types or styles of music
ML3506 - ML3509 Jazz
ML3519 ML3520 Bluegrass
ML3521 Blues / Rhythm and Blues
ML3524 Country
ML3531 - ML3532 Rap / Reggae
ML3534 Rock ( including specific types of Rock such as Punk or Heavy Metal)

 

 

Suggested Subject Headings

Use subject headings to find books about individual Artists or groups such as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones

For information about popular music search in general try the following Subject Headings
For Popular Music Use Popular music --Analysis, appreciation.
For Rock Music Use Rock Music --History and Criticism

 

Search by Keyword (with Boolean):

  • Use quotation marks around phrases.
  • Truncate uisng "?" This is an excellent way to improve your search results. For example, canad* will retrieve results for the words Canada, Canadian, and Canadians. Truncating means you don't have to search for these words separately by typing each one individually.
  • Use "AND" and "OR" to combine words or phrases. These are (known as Boolean operators.
  • Use parentheses: ( ), called "nesting, to groups terms together so you can combine even more concepts or Synonyms. For example: (cello OR violincello) or (beliefs OR attitudes).Using both terms ensures you will get relevant results.
  • Use limiters to limit to recordings, scores or vidoes. You may also limit by date

 

Find Articles

Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete, designed specifically for academic institutions, is a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,300 full-text periodicals

American History and Life
Not music specific, this is a good source for information on the history of the times (say the 60's). It is the definitive index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present.

IIMP Full Text- International Index to Music Periodicals Full Text
International Index to Music Periodicals (IIMP) is an outstanding resource for music periodicals available on the web. It enables you to find articles on a comprehensive variety of subjects about music from a wide range of scholarship.

The Music Index
The Music Index is the single most comprehensive subject-author guide to music periodical literature. The Music Index online coverage spans from 1976 to the present and contains surveyed data from 775 international music periodicals from over 40 countries. Coverage from 1949 - 1976 is available in the print edition located in the Music Reference area.

RILM
RILM offers broad international coverage base. It includes music related works from articles, books, bibliographies, dissertations, film & video to concert reviews and recording notes, provided the items are of scholarly interest.

Newspapers

Since popular music often will include topics of popular culture (take the death of Michael Jackson for instance) also Newspapers can also be a good source of informaiton.

 

Sources for Popular Music

Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world

Music Reference ML102 P66C66 2003
Encyclopedia of pop, rock & soul

Music Reference ML102 P66S8 1989
Encyclopedia of world pop music 1980 - 2001

Music Reference ML102 P66J44
The Faber companion to 20th-century popular music

Music Reference ML102 P66H37
The Penguin encyclopedia of popular music

Music Reference ML102 P66P45
Popular Music the key concepts

ML102 P66

Sources for Rock Music

Baker's biographical dictionary of popular musicians since 1990

Music Reference ML102 P66B35
Encyclopedia of indie rock Music Reference ML102 R6S63 2008
Encyclopedia of punk music and culture Music Reference ML102 R6C64 2006
Encyclopedia of rap and hip hop culture Music Reference ML102 R27 B96
Encyclopedia of rock music on film Music Reference ML102 P66S25
The Literature of rock, 1954 - 1978 Music Reference ML128 R6H64
The Greenwood encyclopedia of rock history

Music Reference ML3534 G754
Rock on alamanac: the first four decades of rock' n' roll

Music Reference ML3534 N58
The Rolling Stone encyclopedia of rock & roll

Music Reference ML102 R6R64 2001

 

Discographies

Discographies list the recorded output of a record company and may contain historical information not found elsewhere.

100 albums that changed popular music

ML156.4 P6S63
Billboard book of top 40 albums

Music Reference ML156.4 P6W43 1991
The Chess Label: a discography

Music Reference ML156.2 R783
Rolling Stone Album Guide

Music Reference ML156.4 P6R64 1992
Rolling Stone Record Guide Music Reference ML156.4 P6R64

Journals

MT740 B7a

Billboard

Select back issues are available through Google Books
ML3469 Journal of Popular Music Studies
ML3469 Music and Media
ML3469 P65 Popular Music
ML1 Popular Music and Society
ML1713 O6 Rolling Stone
ML3469 Samples

Internet Sites

All Music Guide (http://www.allmusic.com/)
Provides reviews and biographical information on thousands of groups and artists.

Experience Music Project (http://www.empsfm.org/)

Hiphop Directory (http://www.hiphop-directory.com/)

Music links from Google (http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Music/)

Music links from Indiana University (http://library.music.indiana.edu/music_resources/rock.html)

Rockcritics.com (http://rockcritics.com/)
Rockcritics explores all aspects of writing about popular music

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (http://www.exmpsfm.org)

RoJaRo (http://www.rojaro.com/)
An online site that includes a list of magazines and record labels as well as a searchable database of articles, discographies, and reviews found in small music magazines since 1992.

Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/)
The official site of the legendary magazine

RPM Weekly (http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/index-e.html)
This is a full-text index of the Canadian music industry periodical RPM Weekly (1964-2000). Iits includes over 10,000 charts documenting the hits of popular music in Canada.

This page is maintained by:
Bill Blair, Music and Media Librarian

Page updated: July 04, 2008