Marian Anderson:1897-1993 (Opera)
- Lift Every Voice: Marian Anderson, Florence B. Price And The Sound Of Black Sisterhood by Alisha Lola Jones Marian Anderson's story reveals a longstanding legacy of black women amplifying black women's perspectives through the politics of concert performance.
- Marian Anderson documentary With unprecedented access to the Marian Anderson Estate, the documentary will draw on rare archival footage and audio recordings and Anderson’s extensive personal correspondence to family and friends, including Martin Luther King, Jr., W.E.B. DuBois, Duke Ellington, Shirley Chisholm and Langston Hughes, to reveal the woman behind the icon. Coming soon.
Chuck Berry: 1926-2017 (Rock and Roll)
- Chuck Berry: Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer by Michael Lyndon This article on Chuck Berry is a profile of the singer, songwriter, guitarist, and electrifying performer whose music set the tone, the style, and the rebellious social comment that defined the first wave of rock 'n' roll music in the 1950s.
- Rock Music Studies: Special issue on Chuck Berry This issue of Rock Music Studies is devoted to Chuck Berry’s influences and influence, tracing out the elements, vision, and impact of the first performer elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Big Mama Thornton: 1926-1984 (Blues, Rock and Roll)
- Listening for Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton’s Voice: The Sound of Race and Gender Transgressions in Rock and Roll by Maureen Mahon To end Thornton's story on a less tragic note, I'll mention a living memorial to her: the Brooklyn-based Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls. Since 2004 this nonprofit organization has offered girls from ages eight to eighteen musical mentoring. According to its statement of purpose, the organization brings together girls and women from diverse communities and encourages them to explore self-expression through music, hone their critical thinking skills, build meaningful alliances with other girls and women, develop confidence in making healthy choices in their lives, and effect positive change in their communities and in the world.79 The founders named this feminist enterprise, dedicated to "the empowerment of girls and women," after a woman who represented the ideals of creativity and self-expression that they want to convey to the girls they mentor.80 Each summer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton's spirit lives on as girls learn to play music, sing, and speak, each in her own voice.
Abbey Lincoln: 1930-2010 (Jazz)
- 'Learning How To Listen': Analyzing Style and Meaning in the Music of Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone and Cassandra Wilson by LaShonda Katrice Barnett This dissertation examines the similarities of singing styles and core narrative traits in the original songs of three African American women vocalist-composers celebrated within the jazz idiom. Drawing on years of ethnographic research, including over 150 hours of personal interviews with musicians, attendance of jazz concerts and festivals both domestic and abroad, and a three-year listening journal (based on live performances and recordings), 'Learning How to Listen' is an Africana cultural studies product informed by vibrant multidisciplinary scholarship that bridges Jazz studies, Linguistics and African American history and literary studies.
- Interview with Abbey Lincoln (audio file)Interview with Boston journalist Larry Katz, from the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections