This seminal Southern Rock band formed in Jacksonville in 1969 at 2844 Riverside Avenue in an epic jam session now memorialized by an historical marker from the State of Florida. Members were Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley, Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson, Dickey Betts, and Butch Trucks. To read more about the Allman Brothers Band, log into the library catalog via my.fscj.edu.
The Allman Brothers Band (1972) by Capricorn Records in Wikimedia Commons in the Public Domain
Skydog by
(Book). The definitive biography of one of the most revered guitarists of his generation. Duane Allman brought white-hot intensity to his life, onstage, in the studio, and beyond. Skydog reveals the complete story of Duane Allman, from his early struggles and his session days, to the formation of the Allman Brothers Band and his tragic early death at age 24. Skydog also includes a comprehensive discography, a meticulously researched roundup of his studio and stage instruments, and a look at the continuing lives and careers of Allman's friends and bandmates.
My Cross to Bear by
[PRINT] For the first time, rock music icon Gregg Allman, one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band, tells the full story of his life and career in My Cross to Bear. No subject is taboo, as one of the true giants of rock 'n' roll opens up about his Georgia youth, his long struggle with substance abuse, his string of bad marriages (including his brief union with superstar Cher), the tragic death of brother Duane Allman, and life on the road in one of rock's most legendary bands.
The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture by
Southern music has flourished as a meeting ground for the traditions of West African and European peoples in the region, leading to the evolution of various traditional folk genres, bluegrass, country, jazz, gospel, rock, blues, and southern hip-hop. This much-anticipated volume in The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture celebrates an essential element of southern life and makes available for the first time a stand-alone reference to the music and music makers of the American South. With nearly double the number of entries devoted to music in the original Encyclopedia, this volume includes 30 thematic essays, covering topics such as ragtime, zydeco, folk music festivals, minstrelsy, rockabilly, white and black gospel traditions, and southern rock. And it features 174 topical and biographical entries, focusing on artists and musical outlets. From Mahalia Jackson to R.E.M., from Doc Watson to OutKast, this volume considers a diverse array of topics, drawing on the best historical and contemporary scholarship on southern music. It is a book for all southerners and for all serious music lovers, wherever they live.
Mae Axton, a Texas and Oklahoma native, moved to Jacksonville in the 1950s and taught school at Paxon High. During that time, she also penned songs, helped novice musicians, and hosted a radio show. Though Axton successfully wrote songs for other famous musicians, it was her tune "Heartbreak Hotel," co-written with Tommy Durden for Elvis Presley, that struck gold and earned her a place in music history.
Mae Axton and Elvis Presley by Report from the Florida Zone under Fair Use
Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings by
From John Philip Sousa to Green Day, from Scott Joplin to Kanye West, from Stephen Foster to Coldplay, The Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volumes 1 and 2 covers the vast scope of its subject with virtually unprecedented breadth and depth. Approximately 1,000 key song recordings from 1889 to the present are explored in full, unveiling the stories behind the songs, the recordings, the performers, and the songwriters. Beginning the journey in the era of Victorian parlor balladry, brass bands, and ragtime with the advent of the record industry, readers witness the birth of the blues and the dawn of jazz in the 1910s and the emergence of country music on record and the shift from acoustic to electrical recording in the 1920s. The odyssey continues through the Swing Era of the 1930s; rhythm & blues, bluegrass, and bebop in the 1940s; the rock & roll revolution of the 1950s; modern soul, the British invasion, and the folk-rock movement of the 1960s; and finally into the modern era through the musical streams of disco, punk, grunge, hip-hop, and contemporary dance-pop. Sullivan, however, also takes critical detours by extending the coverage to genres neglected in pop music histories, from ethnic and world music, the gospel recording of both black and white artists, and lesser-known traditional folk tunes that reach back hundreds of years. This book is ideal for anyone who truly loves popular music in all of its glorious variety, and anyone wishing to learn more about the roots of virtually all the music we hear today. Popular music fans, as well as scholars of recording history and technology and students of the intersections between music and cultural history will all find this book to be informative and interesting.
Indie rock band Black Kids was formed in Jacksonville and released its debut album, Partie Traumatic in 2008. Their near instant success originated with internet popularity and soon fizzled. The band members went on an extended break until regrouping to self-release an album in 2017.
Black Kids Live by fiendish type in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-2.0
Arthur "Blind" Blake was the primary developer of the guitar equivalent of ragtime known as "finger-style." Many sources indicate Blake was born in Jacksonville sometime between 1895-1897. His travels as an early blues musician and Paramount Records artist took him through the Southeast and parts of the Midwest. One of his popular songs was "West Ashley Street Blues," named after the lively street in LaVilla known in the early 20th century for music, dining and performances. To research "Blind Blake" further, log into your library account via my.fscj.edu to read about him here.
"Blind Blake" in Wikipedia (under fair use)
Early Blues by
[PRINT] Winner of the 2016 Living Blues Award for Blues Book of the Year Since the early 1900s, blues and the guitar have traveled side by side. This book tells the story of their pairing from the first reported sightings of blues musicians, to the rise of nationally known stars, to the onset of the Great Depression, when blues recording virtually came to a halt. Like the best music documentaries, Early Blues: The First Stars of Blues Guitar interweaves musical history, quotes from celebrated musicians (B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Ry Cooder, and Johnny Winter, to name a few), and a spellbinding array of life stories to illustrate the early days of blues guitar in rich and resounding detail. In these chapters, you'll meet Sylvester Weaver, who recorded the world's first guitar solos, and Paramount Records artists Papa Charlie Jackson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Blind Blake, the "King of Ragtime Blues Guitar." Blind Willie McTell, the Southeast's superlative twelve-string guitar player, and Blind Willie Johnson, street-corner evangelist of sublime gospel blues, also get their due, as do Lonnie Johnson, the era's most influential blues guitarist; Mississippi John Hurt, with his gentle, guileless voice and syncopated fingerpicking sty≤ and slide guitarist Tampa Red, "the Guitar Wizard." Drawing on a deep archive of documents, photographs, record company ads, complete discographies, and up-to-date findings of leading researchers, this is the most comprehensive and complete account ever written of the early stars of blues guitar--an essential chapter in the history of American music.
Pat Boone was born in 1934 in Jacksonville. Though his family soon moved to Nashville, Boone frequently returned to his hometown to visit his grandparents in St. Johns Park, a neighborhood on the Westside. As a teen idol in the 1950s and '60s, Boone enjoyed success in music, television, and films. Since that time, he has had a successful career in wholesome radio and films, as well as Gospel and charitable endeavors. To read more about Pat Boone, log into your library account through my.fscj.edu and visit this page.
Pat Boone by MovieGuide in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-2.0
The Pat Boone Fan Club by
Gentile reader, and you, Jews, come too. Follow Sue William Silverman, a one-woman cultural mash-up, on her exploration of identity among the mishmash of American idols and ideals that confuse most of us--or should. Pat Boone is our first stop. Now a Tea Party darling, Boone once shone as a squeaky-clean pop music icon of normality, an antidote for Silverman's own confusing and dangerous home, where being a Jew in a Christian school wasn't easy, and being the daughter of the Anti-Boone was unspeakable. And yet somehow Silverman found her way, a "gefilte fish swimming upstream," and found her voice, which in this searching, bracing, hilarious, and moving book tries to make sense of that most troubling American condition: belonging, but to what? Picking apricots on a kibbutz, tramping cross-country in a loathed Volkswagen camper, appearing in a made-for-television version of her own life: Silverman is a bobby-soxer, a baby boomer, a hippy, a lefty, and a rebel with something to say to those of us--most of us--still wondering what to make of ourselves.
Country Music Changed My Life by
In this book based on new interviews, some of country music's greatest stars share personal moments of redemption, inspiration, and heartache related to the music that shaped their lives. Brenda Lee explains how her childhood singing gift raised her entire family out of dire poverty, and Pat Boone speaks about the spiritual influence of his father-in-law, Red Foley. Barbara Pittman talks about her childhood friendship with Elvis Presley, while Little Jimmy Dickens divulges how Hank Williams came to write a song for him and why he never recorded it. Mickey Gilley talks about gladly living in, then gladly escaping, the shadow of his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis, and Hank Thompson reveals how his background in electrical engineering helped revolutionize country music. More stories from Glen Campbell, Don Williams, Johnny Legend, Chris Hillman, and many others explain the inspiration and effect of country music in their lives.
Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia in 1930; as a youth, he attended the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine. Charles toured on the Chitlin' Circuit as a young man and later achieved cross-genre stardom with hits like "What'd I say," "Georgia on My Mind," and "Hit the Road, Jack." He died in 2004 of liver disease. To read more about Ray Charles in this article, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Ray Charles by William Morris Agency in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Ray Charles by
Ray Charles: Man and Musicis a complete biography of this seminal singer/pianist who has been active on the American music scene since the mid-'50s. Originally published in 1995 by Penguin Books, and universally hailed as the definitive biography, this new edition will bring Charles's life up to date, covering the last 7 years of his life.
Ray Charles by
Pioneering musician Ray Charles was one of the first performers of soul music--a combination of gospel, jazz, country, and rhythm and blues. Born into poverty to a single mother, he overcame blindness, racism, and the deaths of his brother and mother to play 10,000 concerts and win 12 Grammy Awards over a 58-year career.This biography goes behind the scenes of Charles's storied career to create a vivid portrait of a complex and fascinating musical legend. From the tragedies of his childhood to the enduring legacy of his music, Ray Charles chronicles in revealing detail the life he lived and the songs he sang.
Ray Charles by
1llustrated with 16 pages of black and white photos, this is the first full-length biography of Ray Charles and the definitive portrait of the man called The Genius of Soul'. Colourful, commanding, ruthless, opinionated and dogmatic, Charles stands among the most influential pop musicians of the last half century and his musical innovations have touched everyone from Elvis to Prince, from Aretha Franklin to Billy Joel. A fascinating analytical look at both the man and his art.'
The Chitlin' Circuit was a series of performance venues (mostly in the southern U.S.) that welcomed African-American artists during the Jim Crow era. Jacksonville's primary location was the Ritz Theatre, found in the neighborhood of LaVilla, often called the "Harlem of the South." Many performers stayed at The Richmond Hotel, the predominant hotel for African-Americans in the city from the 1900s to 1964, when the Civil Rights Act was passed. To research the Chitlin' Circuit further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Ritz Theatre by Craig O'Neal in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-2.0
The Chitlin Circuit by
[PRINT] A definitive account of the birth of rock 'n' roll in black America, this book establishes the Chitlin' Circuit as a major force in American musical history. Combining terrific firsthand reporting with deep historical research, Preston Lauterbach uncovers characters like Chicago Defender columnist Walter Barnes, who pioneered the circuit in the 1930s, and larger-than-life promoters such as Denver Ferguson, the Indianapolis gambling chieftain who consolidated it in the 1940s. Charging from Memphis to Houston and now-obscure points in between, The Chitlin' Circuit brings us into the sweaty back rooms where such stars as James Brown, B. B. King, and Little Richard got their start. With his unforgettable portraits of unsung heroes including King Kolax, Sax Kari, and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Lauterbach writes of a world of clubs and con men that has managed to avoid much examination despite its wealth of brash characters, intriguing plotlines, and vulgar glory, and gives us an excavation of an underground musical America.
The Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Reader by
Educator, writer, critic, intellectual, film-maker-Henry Louis Gates, Jr., has been widely praised as being one of America's most prominent and prolific scholars. In what will be an essential volume, The Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Reader collects three decades of writings from his many fields of interest and expertise. From his earliest work of literary-historical excavation in 1982, through his current writings on the history and science of African American genealogy, the essays collected here follow his path as historian, theorist, canon-builder, and cultural critic, revealing a thinker of uncommon breadth whose work is uniformly guided by the drive to uncover and restore a history that has for too long been buried and denied. An invaluable reference, The Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Reader will be a singular reflection of one of our most gifted minds.
African American Performance and Theater History by
African American Performance and Theater History is an anthology of critical writings that explores the intersections of race, theater, and performance in America. Assembled by two esteemed scholars in black theater, Harry J. Elam, Jr. and David Krasner, and composed of essays fromacknowledged authorities in the field, this anthology is organized into four sections representative of the ways black theater, drama, and performance interact and enact continual social, cultural, and political dialogues.Ranging from a discussion of dramatic performances of Uncle Tom's Cabin to the Black Art Movement of the 1960s and early 1970s, articles gathered in the first section, "Social Protest and the Politics of Representation," discuss the ways in which African American theater and performance haveoperated as social weapons and tools of protest. The second section of the volume, "Cultural Traditions, Cultural Memory and Performance," features, among other essays, Joseph Roach's chronicle of the slave performances at Congo Square in New Orleans and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s critique of AugustWilson's cultural polemics. "Intersections of Race and Gender," the third section, includes analyses of the intersections of race and gender on the minstrel stage, the plight of black female choreographers at the inception of Modern Dance, and contemporary representations of black homosexuality byPomoAfro Homo. Using theories of performance and performativity, articles in the fourth section, "African American Performativity and the Performance of Race," probe into the ways blackness and racial identity have been constructed in and through performance. The final section is a round-tableassessment of the past and present state of African American Theater and Performance Studies by some of the leading senior scholars in the field--James V. Hatch, Sandra L. Richards, and Margaret B. Wilkerson.Revealing the dynamic relationship between race and theater, this volume illustrates how the social and historical contexts of production critically affect theatrical performances of blackness and their meanings and, at the same time, how African American cultural, social, and political struggleshave been profoundly affected by theatrical representations and performances. This one-volume collection is sure to become an important reference for those studying black theater and an engrossing survey for all readers of African American literature.
Ella Fitzgerald performed on the Chitlin' Circuit as a young woman; Born in 1917 in Yonkers, New York, Fitzgerald faced familial and financial adversities; winning an amateur singing contest at The Apollo Theater in Harlem marked the beginning of her career. Today she is known as "The First Lady of Song" and is arguably the best female jazz singer ever. Among her numerous classic works are Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook (1957) and Songs in a Mellow Mood (1955). Fitzgerald won thirteen Grammy awards during her career and died in 1996.
Nachtvoorstelling met medewerking van Ella Fitzgerald by Hugo Van Gelderen in Wikimedia Commons in the Public Domain
Popular jazz singer with a bluesy vocal style, Billie Holliday performed on the Chitlin' Circuit. She lived from 1915 to 1959. Her works include God Bless the Child, Strange Fruit, and My Man.
Billie Holiday by Ralph F. Seghers in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-2.0
Ma Rainey (Gertrude Pridgett Rainey, born in Columbus, GA, in 1886) performed first with a Jacksonville-based performance troupe and later with the city's Globe Theater Stock Company. Her unique guttural style of blues made her a key figure of the "Harlem Renaissance" and the "Mother of the Blues."
Ma Rainey in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Jazz entertainer Cab Calloway lived from 1907 to 1994. His works include Hi-De-Hi, Hi-De-Ho (1959) and the soundtrack to the all-African-American production of Hello Dolly!.
Cab Calloway in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Duke Ellington was the most significant composer in jazz history as well as a bandleader for over fifty years. His many classic works include Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (1962) and Sacred Music (1966). Ellington won eleven Grammy Awards during his career.
Duke directing by Gordon Parks in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Classics IV formed in Jacksonville in the late 1960s and enjoyed a popular run with songs like "Spooky" and "Stormy." FSCJ Professor Walter Eaton played bass and buddy Dennis Yost sang; J.R. Cobb and Joe Wilson completed the quartet. After the band broke up, Yost continued to tour as Dennis Yost and the Classics IV until an injury in 2005. To learn more about Wally Eaton's memories of band life, access an FSCJ newsletter here.
Original file by Bill Lowery Talent in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Frederick Delius, born in Yorkshire in the UK and one of the most notable composers of the late 19th century, lived in the South Jacksonville area of Solano Grove from 1884 to 1885. Sent by his father to manage the family citrus farm on the banks of the St. Johns River, Delius had no business acumen but an abundant passion for music. The African American spirituals he heard during this year influenced his future compositions, most memorably Florida. Delius died in Paris in 1934 after a prolific career. In 1961, the Solano Grove Delius House was relocated to the campus of Jacksonville University, the same year that the first Delius Festival took place in Jacksonville (occurring annually until 2004). To read more about Delius and the festival, log into your my.fscj.edu account.
Frederick Delius portrait by Bergen Public Library Norway in Wikimedia Commons (no known
copyright restrictions)
Frederick Delius by
[PRINT]
Frederick Delius and Peter Warlock by
[PRINT] The Eton schoolboy, Philip Heseltine (Peter Warlock), was not yet 17 when he first met his musical hero Frederick Delius at a concert in 1911. The next day he wrote an ecstatic letter to Delius who was flattered and intrigued by the young admirer. And so began a correspondence that was to last until Heseltine's untimely death in 1930. Barry Smith has fully researched the background of the correspondence and by means of generous annotations and linking narrative has produced a compelling story of an unusual and unique friendship between two composers.
Blackness in Opera by
Blackness in Opera critically examines the intersections of race and music in the multifaceted genre of opera. A diverse cross-section of scholars places well-known operas (Porgy and Bess, Aida, Treemonisha) alongside lesser-known works such as Frederick Delius's Koanga, William Grant Still's Blue Steel, and Clarence Cameron White's Ouanga! to reveal a new historical context for re-imagining race and blackness in opera. The volume brings a wide-ranging, theoretically informed, interdisciplinary approach to questions about how blackness has been represented in these operas, issues surrounding characterization of blacks, interpretation of racialized roles by blacks and whites, controversies over race in the theatre and the use of blackface, and extensions of blackness along the spectrum from grand opera to musical theatre and film. In addition to essays by scholars, the book also features reflections by renowned American tenor George Shirley. Contributors are Naomi André, Melinda Boyd, Gwynne Kuhner Brown, Karen M. Bryan, Melissa J. de Graaf, Christopher R. Gauthier, Jennifer McFarlane-Harris, Gayle Murchison, Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr., Eric Saylor, Sarah Schmalenberger, Ann Sears, George Shirley, and Jonathan O. Wipplinger.
Alternative metal band Cold formed in Jacksonville and released their eponymous debut album in 1998. Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit was instrumental in getting the band their record deal. To research Cold further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Cold Live in Flint, MI by Hysxeric in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA 3.0
Mercedes Gilbert was a "triple threat" talent (songwriter, actress, and author) born in Jacksonville in 1894, where her father owned a furniture business. She was a student at Edward Waters College and later worked as a teacher and trained to be a nurse. She moved to New York City where she began to write songs and work as an actress. She died there in 1952. One of Gilbert's songs, "Stompin' the Bug," was featured in the 1982 David Lynch film Eraserhead. Scholars classify Gilbert's literary writing as part of the Harlem Renaissance.
Mercedes Gilbert by Postal Telegraph Guide's Autograph Club in Alchetron under fair use
What Is This Thing Called Jazz? by
Despite the plethora of writing about jazz, little attention has been paid to what musicians themselves wrote and said about their practice. An implicit division of labor has emerged where, for the most part, black artists invent and play music while white writers provide the commentary. Eric Porter overturns this tendency in his creative intellectual history of African American musicians. He foregrounds the often-ignored ideas of these artists, analyzing them in the context of meanings circulating around jazz, as well as in relationship to broader currents in African American thought. Porter examines several crucial moments in the history of jazz: the formative years of the 1920s and 1930s; the emergence of bebop; the political and experimental projects of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s; and the debates surrounding Jazz at Lincoln Center under the direction of Wynton Marsalis. Louis Armstrong, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, Duke Ellington, W.C. Handy, Yusef Lateef, Abbey Lincoln, Charles Mingus, Archie Shepp, Wadada Leo Smith, Mary Lou Williams, and Reggie Workman also feature prominently in this book. The wealth of information Porter uncovers shows how these musicians have expressed themselves in print; actively shaped the institutional structures through which the music is created, distributed, and consumed, and how they aligned themselves with other artists and activists, and how they were influenced by forces of class and gender. What Is This Thing Called Jazz? challenges interpretive orthodoxies by showing how much black jazz musicians have struggled against both the racism of the dominant culture and the prescriptive definitions of racial authenticity propagated by the music's supporters, both white and black.
Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century by
Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century examine individuals from all over the world who gained significance as composers, performers, instrumentalists, vocalists, and teachers. These are the people who have shaped the history of a number of musical genres, including blues, classical, country, gospel, jazz, Latin, musical theater, opera, punk, rap, reggae, rock, and many more.
Lost Plays of the Harlem Renaissance, 1920-1940 by
This compilation of sixteen plays written during the Harlem Renaissance brings together for the first time the works of Langston Hughes, George S. Schuyler, Francis Hall Johnson, Shirley Graham, and others. In the introduction, James V. Hatch sets the plays in a historical context as he describes the challenges presented to artists by the political and social climate of the time. The topics of the plays cover the realm of the human experience in styles as wide-ranging as poetry, farce, comedy, tragedy, social realism, and romance. Individual introductions to each play provide essential biographical background on the playwrights. In the continuing rediscovery of writers and works from the Harlem Renaissance, Lost Plays of the Harlem Renaissance 1920-1940 serves as essential background for contemporary readers and is a valuable contribution to African American literary and theatrical scholarship.
Molly Hatchet is a band whose sound mixes hard rock and Southern rock. Dave Hlubek, Westside resident and Forrest High School graduate, started the band in 1971. The band enjoyed success throughout the next decade--most notably for hit album "Flirtin' with Disaster." Other projects and illness led to the attrition of original band members who were replaced with new talent. The band continues to produce new music and tour internationally. To research Molly Hatchet further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Molly Hatchett at Biebob by Bender~commonswiki in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
The Rock History Reader by
[PRINT] The Rock History Reader is an eclectic compilation of readings that tells the history of rock as it has been received and explained as a social and musical practice throughout its six decade history. The readings range from the vivid autobiographical accounts of such rock icons as Ronnie Spector and David Lee Roth to the writings of noted rock critics like Lester Bangs and Chuck Klosterman. It also includes a variety of selections from media critics, musicologists, fanzine writers, legal experts, sociologists and prominent political figures. Many entries also deal specifically with distinctive styles such as Motown, punk, disco, grunge, rap and indie rock. Each entry includes headnotes, which place it in its historical context. This second edition includes new readings on the early years of rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll, as well as entries on payola, mods, the rise of FM rock, progressive rock and the PMRC congressional hearings. In addition, there is a wealth of new material on the 2000s that explores such relatively recent developments as emo, mash ups, the explosion of internet culture and new media, and iconic figures like Radiohead and Lady Gaga. With numerous readings that delve into the often explosive issues surrounding censorship, copyright, race relations, feminism, youth subcultures, and the meaning of musical value, The Rock History Readercontinues to appeal to scholars and students from a variety of disciplines. . In addition, there is a wealth of new material on the 2000s that explores such relatively recent developments as emo, mash ups, the explosion of internet culture and new media, and iconic figures like Radiohead and Lady Gaga. With numerous readings that delve into the often explosive issues surrounding censorship, copyright, race relations, feminism, youth subcultures, and the meaning of musical value, The Rock History Readercontinues to appeal to scholars and students from a variety of disciplines.
Jacksonville and the roots of southern rock by
[PRINT] The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet would reset the course of seventies rock. Yet Jacksonville seemed an unlikely hotbed for a new musical movement. Michael FitzGerald blends eyewitness detail with in-depth history to tell the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians. As he profiles essential bands alongside forerunners like Gram Parsons and Cowboy, FitzGerald reveals how the powerful local AM radio station worked with newspapers and television stations to nurture talent. Media attention in turn created a public hungry for live performances by area bands. What became the southern rock elite welded relentless determination to a ferocious work ethic, honing their gifts on a testing ground that brooked no weakness and took no prisoners. FitzGerald looks at the music as the diverse soundtrack to a neo-southern lifestyle that reconciled different segments of society in Jacksonville, and across the nation, in the late sixties and early seventies.
James Weldon Johnson and his brother, John Rosamond Johnson were born in Jacksonville in the early 1870s and grew up in the LaVilla neighborhood. James wrote the lyrics and John composed the music to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," today considered a national anthem by many African-Americans. Jacksonville's James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory Middle School and James Weldon Johnson Academic and Career Training Center are named in his honor. Log into your library account through my.fscj.edu to read more about James Weldon here and John Rosamond Johnson here.
"File:Johnson-brothers.jpg" by Benlabine44 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
James Weldon Johnson by
[PRINT] This thorough presentation is a good choice for students doing research. The opening chapter analyzes the impact of "Lift Every Voice & Sing," while later chapters look at Johnson's education, his diplomatic service, & his years with the NAACP. Throughout his life, Johnson influenced the arts, politics, & social issues. Chronology, bibliography, & index. Part of the Black Americans of Achievement series.
Lift Every Voice by
[PRINT] The first major history of America's oldest civil rights organisation is destined to become a classic in the field. When it was founded in 1909, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was an elite organisation of white reformers. By 1918, it had become a mass organisation with predominantly black members. Sullivan unearths the little-known early decades of NAACP's activism, telling startling stories of personal bravery, legal brilliance and political manoeuvring, before moving on to the critical post-war era.
Goyescas; or, The rival lovers; opera in three tableaux. The book by Fernando Periquet, the music by Enrique Granados. English version by James Weldon Johnson. by 
May We Forever Stand by
The twin acts of singing and fighting for freedom have been inseparable in African American history. May We Forever Stand tells an essential part of that story. With lyrics penned by James Weldon Johnson and music composed by his brother Rosamond, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was embraced almost immediately as an anthem that captured the story and the aspirations of black Americans. Since the song's creation, it has been adopted by the NAACP and performed by countless artists in times of both crisis and celebration, cementing its place in African American life up through the present day. In this rich, poignant, and readable work, Imani Perry tells the story of the Black National Anthem as it traveled from South to North, from civil rights to black power, and from countless family reunions to Carnegie Hall and the Oval Office. Drawing on a wide array of sources, Perry uses "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as a window on the powerful ways African Americans have used music and culture to organize, mourn, challenge, and celebrate for more than a century.
Singer/dancer/actress Paula Kelly was born in Jacksonville, later relocating with her family to Harlem, NYC. After graduating from Juilliard, she went on to a successful stage career which paved the way for memorable roles in movies and television. Her musical theatre credits include the London production of Sweet Charity in 1967 and 1981's Sophisticated Ladies on Broadway. She died in 2020 at the age of 77. To research Paula Kelly further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Paula Kelly in the musical revue Bubbling Brown Sugar - publicity still by unknown (The Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami) in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Though Virginia Atter Keys was born in Massachusetts, she grew up in Jacksonville, evolving into a beautiful local icon. A talented singer, she won the “The Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts” contest and performed on the radio and locally. In 1949, brand new television station Channel 4 hired Keys to be an on-air personality; her career gathered steam when Dick Stratton joined her as co-anchor. Through the years, Keys continued to sing on television and work for different TV stations. A proud Lebanese American, she died in 2017 in Neptune Beach. To research Virginia Atter Keys further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Virginia Atter Keys on Virginia Atter Keys Community, Facebook, used under fair use
Rap-rock band Limp Bizkit formed in Jacksonville in 1994 with original members Fred Durst, John Otto, Wes Borland, and Sam Rivers (the former three Douglas Anderson School of the Arts alumni). They released their debut album in 1998 and through the 90s and early 2000s had a reputation as the bad boys of nu-metal rock. More than twenty five years later, Limp Bizkit still records and tours. To read more about Limp Bizkit, log into the library via your my.fscj.edu account.
Limp Bizkit 2011 Chile by Carlos Varela in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-2.0
Hip-hop artist Mase (Mason Betha) was born in Jacksonville in 1975 but moved to Harlem when he was five years old. He met Sean "P. Diddy" Combs in 1996; Combs took Mase under his wing and guided him to great success. Since 1999 his career focus has shifted between music and Christian ministry. To research Mase further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Mase-Harlem World by Drummkopf on Flickr (adapted by FSCJ) under CC-BY-2.0
The Rap Year Book by
New York Times Bestseller - Washington Post Bestseller - Pitchfork Book Club selection The Rap Year Book takes readers on a journey that begins in 1979, widely regarded as the moment rap became recognized as part of the cultural and musical landscape, and comes right up to the present. Shea Serrano deftly pays homage to the most important song of each year. Serrano also examines the most important moments that surround the history and culture of rap music--from artists' backgrounds to issues of race, the rise of hip-hop, and the struggles among its major players--both personal and professional. Covering East Coast and West Coast, famous rapper feuds, chart toppers, and show stoppers, The Rap Year Book is an in-depth look at the most influential genre of music to come out of the last generation. Complete with infographics, lyric maps, hilarious and informative footnotes, portraits of the artists, and short essays by other prominent music writers, The Rap Year Book is both a narrative and illustrated guide to the most iconic and influential rap songs ever created.
Country superstar Tim McGraw lived in Jacksonville from 1987 to 1989, and attended Florida Community College at Jacksonville while engaging in the local music scene. McGraw next moved to Nashville, receiving lukewarm acceptance until his career caught fire with successful back-to-back albums and marriage to country singer Faith Hill. Multi-talented, McGraw has also acted in assorted films. Log into your library account through my.fscj.edu to read more about him in this article.
Tim McGraw by WEZL in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-2.0
Tribe of Mentors by
Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, shares the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure book--a compilation of tools, tactics, and habits from 130+ of the world's top performers. From iconic entrepreneurs to elite athletes, from artists to billionaire investors, their short profiles can help you answer life's most challenging questions, achieve extraordinary results, and transform your life. From the author: In 2017, several of my close friends died in rapid succession. It was a very hard year, as it was for many people. It was also a stark reminder that time is our scarcest, non-renewable resource. With a renewed sense of urgency, I began asking myself many questions: Were my goals my own, or simply what I thought I should want? How much of life had I missed from underplanning or overplanning? How could I be kinder to myself? How could I better say "no" to the trivial many to better say "yes" to the critical few? How could I best reassess my priorities and my purpose in this world? To find answers, I reached out to the most impressive world-class performers in the world, ranging from wunderkinds in their 20s to icons in their 70s and 80s. No stone was left unturned. This book contains their answers--practical and tactical advice from mentors who have found solutions. Whether you want to 10x your results, get unstuck, or reinvent yourself, someone else has traveled a similar path and taken notes. This book, Tribe of Mentors, includes many of the people I grew up viewing as idols or demi-gods. Less than 10% have been on my podcast (The Tim Ferriss Show, more than 200 million downloads), making this a brand-new playbook of playbooks. No matter your challenge or opportunity, something in these pages can help. Among other things, you will learn: * More than 50 morning routines--both for the early riser and those who struggle to get out of bed. * How TED curator Chris Anderson realized that the best way to get things done is to let go. * The best purchases of $100 or less (you'll never have to think about the right gift again). * How to overcome failure and bounce back towards success. * Why Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton believes that the best art will always be the riskiest. * How to meditate and be more mindful (and not just for those that find it easy). * Why tennis champion Maria Sharapova believe that "losing makes you think in ways victories can't." * How to truly achieve work-life balance (and why most people tell you it isn't realistic). * How billionaire Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz transformed the way he engages with difficult situations to reduce suffering. * Ways to thrive (and survive) the overwhelming amount of information you process every day. * How to achieve clarity on your purpose and assess your priorities. * And much more. This reference book, which I wrote for myself, has already changed my life. I certainly hope the same for you. I wish you luck as you forge your own path. All the best, Tim Ferriss
Ingram Cecil Connor, III, (later known as Gram Parsons) was born in Winter Haven, Florida, in 1948 to a wealthy family; he attended and graduated from The Bolles School in Jacksonville, during which time he traveled and performed with his band the Shilos. Though Parsons failed as a Harvard student, his music progressed apace; he played with the Byrds and Emmylou Harris, was a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and did solo work before dying young of a drug overdose in Joshua Tree National Forest in 1973. Parsons is widely credited with being the first musician to merge country and rock music.
Publicity portrait of Gram Parsons by Reprise Records in the public domain in Wikimedia Commons
Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century by
Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century examine individuals from all over the world who gained significance as composers, performers, instrumentalists, vocalists, and teachers. These are the people who have shaped the history of a number of musical genres, including blues, classical, country, gospel, jazz, Latin, musical theater, opera, punk, rap, reggae, rock, and many more.
Americanaland by
A musical genre forever outside the lines With a claim on artists from Jimmie Rodgers to Jason Isbell, Americana can be hard to define, but you know it when you hear it. John Milward's Americanaland is filled with the enduring performers and vivid stories that are at the heart of Americana. At base a hybrid of rock and country, Americana is also infused with folk, blues, R&B, bluegrass, and other types of roots music. Performers like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, and Gram Parsons used these ingredients to create influential music that took well-established genres down exciting new roads. The name Americana was coined in the 1990s to describe similarly inclined artists like Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, and Wilco. Today, Brandi Carlile and I'm With Her are among the musicians carrying the genre into the twenty-first century. Essential and engaging, Americanaland chronicles the evolution and resonance of this ever-changing amalgam of American music. Margie Greve's hand-embroidered color portraits offer a portfolio of the pioneers and contemporary practitioners of Americana.
"Screamo" band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was formed in 2003 in Middleburg, FL, and released their first album, Don't You Fake It, in 2006. The album featured the band's top-40 hit "Face Down." In recent years, the band's music has been diverse, ranging from Christian-based lyrics to those promoting social justice. To research Red Jumpsuit Apparatus further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Live by Zax in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-2.0
Born in Jacksonville in 1921, Dorothy Shay was a singer and actress popular in the 1940s and 50s for performing "country bumpkin" songs in a glamourous get-up of evening gown, makeup, and jewels. Known as the "Park Avenue Hillbillie," she was a frequent guest on the Spike Jones and Jack Benny shows. Shay died in 1978. To research Dorothy Shay further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Dorothy Shay circa 1940s by CBS Radio/Columbia Broadcasting System in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Calvin "Eagle Eye" Shields was born in Jacksonville in 1924. A well-regarded drummer, he recorded for King Records and performed with Della Reese and Redd Foxx. Shields died in 2010.
Snare drum Strainer by ZooFari in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Popular Jacksonville-based hard rock group Shinedown released their first album Leave a Whisper in 2003, which went platinum. The group's big hit "Second Chance" was on their third album, 2008's double-platinum The Sound of Madness. In May 2020, they released a stand-alone single titled "Atlas Falls" with sales going to support a non-profit which provides medications for the uninsured. To research Shinedown further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Shinedown Concert by jscomputerdad in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-2.0
Lynyrd Skynyrd was a popular and influential Southern Rock band from Jacksonville. Band members Ronnie and Johnny Van Zant grew up on the city's Westside, not far from the Cedar River. After releasing its first album in 1973, Lynyrd Skynyrd steadily rose to success until a fateful plane crash in 1977 killed several members. The band re-formed in 1987; some thirty years later, they announced an extended farewell tour. Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird," mainstays of classic rock channels and playlists, are among the band's hits. Log into your library account through my.fscj.edu to read more about this band here.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Band (1973) in Wikimedia Commons in the Public Domain
Lynyrd Skynyrd by
The first complete, unvarnished history of Southern rock’s legendary and most popular band, from its members’ hardscrabble boyhoods in Jacksonville, Florida and their rise to worldwide fame to the tragic plane crash that killed the founder and the band’s rise again from the ashes. In the summer of 1964 Jacksonville, Florida teenager Ronnie Van Zant and some of his friends hatched the idea of forming a band to play covers of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Yardbirds and the country and blues-rock music they had grown to love. Naming their band after Leonard Skinner, the gym teacher at Robert E. Lee Senior High School who constantly badgered the long-haired aspiring musicians to get haircuts, they were soon playing gigs at parties, and bars throughout the South. During the next decade Lynyrd Skynyrd grew into the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful of the rock bands to emerge from the South since the Allman Brothers. Their hits “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama” became classics. Then, at the height of its popularlity in 1977, the band was struck with tragedy --a plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant and two other band members. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock is an intimate chronicle of the band from its earliest days through the plane crash and its aftermath, to its rebirth and current status as an enduring cult favorite. From his behind-the-scenes perspective as Ronnie Van Zant’s lifelong friend and frequent member of the band’s entourage who was also aboard the plane on that fateful flight, Gene Odom reveals the unique synthesis of blues/country rock and songwriting talent, relentless drive, rebellious Southern swagger and down-to-earth sensibility that brought the band together and made it a defining and hugely popular Southern rock band -- as well as the destructive forces that tore it apart. Illustrated throughout with rare photos, Odom traces the band’s rise to fame and shares personal stories that bring to life the band’s journey. For the fans who have purchased a cumulative 35 million copies of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s albums and continue to pack concerts today, Lynyrd Skynyrd is a celebration of an immortal American band. From the Hardcover edition.
Freebirds by
A biography of the roots, evolution and eventual emergence of rock and roll band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Though plagued by personal tragedy, numerous personnel changes and the untimely deaths of some of its founding members, Lynyrd Skynyrd has continued to record, tour and produce albums. This volume features in-depth biographies and inside stories of intricate inter-band relationships, charges of manslaughter and broken contracts. There are interviews with Charlie Daniels, Gregg Allman, Warren Hayes and Allen Woody.
Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars by
This intimate story of Lynyrd Skynyrd tells of how a band of lost souls and self-destructive misfits with uncertain artistic objectives clawed their way to the top of the rock 'n' roll world. Based on interviews with surviving band members, Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars shares how lead singer and front man Ronnie Van Zant guided the band's hugely successful five-year run and, in the process, created not only a new country rock idiom, but a new Confederacy in constant conflict with old Southern totems and prejudices. Placing the music and personae of Skynyrd into a broad cultural context, this book gives a new perspective to a history of stage fights, motel-room destructions, cunning business deals, and brilliant studio productions. It also offers a greater appreciation for a band whose legacy, in the aftermath of their last plane ride, has since descended into self-caricature.
Jacksonville and the roots of southern rock by
[PRINT] The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet would reset the course of seventies rock. Yet Jacksonville seemed an unlikely hotbed for a new musical movement. Michael FitzGerald blends eyewitness detail with in-depth history to tell the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians. As he profiles essential bands alongside forerunners like Gram Parsons and Cowboy, FitzGerald reveals how the powerful local AM radio station worked with newspapers and television stations to nurture talent. Media attention in turn created a public hungry for live performances by area bands. What became the southern rock elite welded relentless determination to a ferocious work ethic, honing their gifts on a testing ground that brooked no weakness and took no prisoners. FitzGerald looks at the music as the diverse soundtrack to a neo-southern lifestyle that reconciled different segments of society in Jacksonville, and across the nation, in the late sixties and early seventies.
.38 Special formed in Jacksonville and was popular in the 1980s; their sound has primarily been a mix of country/blues-rock and hard rock. The group was led by Donnie Van Zant, the brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant. "Hold on Loosely" and "Caught Up in You" are classic rock radio staples. To read more about 38 Special in this article, log into my.fscj.edu and access the Library and Learning Commons.
.38 Special by Ben Strasser in Wikimedia Commons in the public domain
Jacksonville and the roots of southern rock by
[PRINT] The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet would reset the course of seventies rock. Yet Jacksonville seemed an unlikely hotbed for a new musical movement. Michael FitzGerald blends eyewitness detail with in-depth history to tell the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians. As he profiles essential bands alongside forerunners like Gram Parsons and Cowboy, FitzGerald reveals how the powerful local AM radio station worked with newspapers and television stations to nurture talent. Media attention in turn created a public hungry for live performances by area bands. What became the southern rock elite welded relentless determination to a ferocious work ethic, honing their gifts on a testing ground that brooked no weakness and took no prisoners. FitzGerald looks at the music as the diverse soundtrack to a neo-southern lifestyle that reconciled different segments of society in Jacksonville, and across the nation, in the late sixties and early seventies.
Florida's Famous and Forgotten by
Florida's Famous & Forgotten: An Illustrated Encyclopedia HIstory of Florida's Rock, Soul & Dance Music, The First 30 Years: 1955-1985 chronicles the Florida artists and bands who made it to a national recording label, as well as the producers and recording studios in the Sunshine State who contributed to the national music scene. Artists such as K.C. & the Sunshine Band, Tom Petty, Steve Alaimo, Ray Charles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jim Morrison, and more are profiled in this extensive 2-volume set. Famous & Forgotten celebrates Florida's contribution to an important era in music evolution and, when possible, gives updates for the groups, people and locales profiled. The book also offers a list of Curtis's Top 200 Greatest Florida Classic Singles, Florida Fun Facts, Top Florida Radio Stations and D.J.s and more.
Jacksonville native Derek Trucks was the guitarist of The Allman Brothers Band from 1999-2014. Trucks has performed with many other prominent musicians as well. He released the Derek Trucks Band's first album in 1997 and the Tedeschi-Trucks Band's (with wife Susan Tedeschi) first album in 2011. Trucks and Tedeschi make their home in Jacksonville with their two children. To research Derek Trucks further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi by Michael F. O'Brien in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA 3.0
Americana Music by
With roots in Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans, the Piedmont, Memphis, and the prairies of Texas and the American West, the musical genre called Americana can prove difficult to define. Nevertheless, this burgeoning trend in American popular music continues to expand and develop, winning new audiences and engendering fresh, innovative artists at an exponential rate. As Lee Zimmerman illustrates in Americana Music: Voices, Visionaries, and Pioneers of an Honest Sound, "Americana" covers a gamut of sounds and styles. In its strictest sense, it is a blanket term for bluegrass, country, mountain music, rockabilly, and the blues. By a broader definition, it can encompass roots rock, country rock, singer/songwriters, R&B, and their various combinations. Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Carl Perkins, and Tom Petty can all lay valid claims as purveyors of Americana, but so can Elvis Costello, Solomon Burke, and Jason Isbell. Americana is new and old, classic and contemporary, trendy and traditional. Mining the firsthand insights of those whose stories help shape the sound--people such as Ralph Stanley, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Chris Hillman (Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers), Paul Cotton and Rusty Young (Poco), Shawn Colvin, Kinky Friedman, David Bromberg, the Avett Brothers, Amanda Shires, Ruthie Foster, and many more--Americana Music provides a history of how Americana originated, how it reached a broader audience in the '60s and '70s with the merging of rock and country, and how it evolved its overwhelmingly populist appeal as it entered the new millennium.
Mathew "Sugar" Underwood was born in Jacksonville in 1898. Underwood has the distinction of having a one-day recording contract with Victor Records, during which he recorded two songs: "Davis Street Blues," and "Dew Drop Alley Stomp." To research Sugar Underwood further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
Grand Piano by Bartalomeo Cristofori in Wikimedia Commons under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration
Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings by
From John Philip Sousa to Green Day, from Scott Joplin to Kanye West, from Stephen Foster to Coldplay, The Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volumes 1 and 2 covers the vast scope of its subject with virtually unprecedented breadth and depth. Approximately 1,000 key song recordings from 1889 to the present are explored in full, unveiling the stories behind the songs, the recordings, the performers, and the songwriters. Beginning the journey in the era of Victorian parlor balladry, brass bands, and ragtime with the advent of the record industry, readers witness the birth of the blues and the dawn of jazz in the 1910s and the emergence of country music on record and the shift from acoustic to electrical recording in the 1920s. The odyssey continues through the Swing Era of the 1930s; rhythm & blues, bluegrass, and bebop in the 1940s; the rock & roll revolution of the 1950s; modern soul, the British invasion, and the folk-rock movement of the 1960s; and finally into the modern era through the musical streams of disco, punk, grunge, hip-hop, and contemporary dance-pop. Sullivan, however, also takes critical detours by extending the coverage to genres neglected in pop music histories, from ethnic and world music, the gospel recording of both black and white artists, and lesser-known traditional folk tunes that reach back hundreds of years. This book is ideal for anyone who truly loves popular music in all of its glorious variety, and anyone wishing to learn more about the roots of virtually all the music we hear today. Popular music fans, as well as scholars of recording history and technology and students of the intersections between music and cultural history will all find this book to be informative and interesting.
In 1997 six Douglas Anderson School of the Arts students formed the popular punk rock group Yellowcard. The band's membership changed over the years, notably with the departure and replacement of the lead singer. Their unique violin-enhanced sound finally achieved success in 2003 when they released their fourth album, Ocean Avenue. Yellowcard played its last concert in 2017. To research Yellowcard further, access the Library and Learning Commons through your my.fscj.edu account.
YellowcardAZ 2012 by Groovyjoe in Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-3.0
