Reference Resources

American song : the complete musical theatre companion / Ken Bloom
Ref. ML128 .M78 B6 1996 4 v. (2nd ed., 1877-1995)

The complete encyclopedia of popular music and jazz, 1900-1950 / Roger D. Kinkle
Ref. ML102 .P66 K55 4 v.

Chronological and A-Z biographical listings.

Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world

/ edited by John Shepherd ... [et al.].
Ref. ML102 .P66 C66 2003- 7 v.

Encyclopedia of Canadian rock, pop & folk music / Rick Jackson.
Ref. ML102 .P66 J13 1994t

A-Z listing of key groups and solo artists in the history of Canadian music from the 1950s-1990s. Includes photos, short biographies and list of singles and LPs or CDs.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music

Online version of Colin Larkin's 10-volume The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th edition. Covers popular music of all genres and periods from 1900 to the present day, including jazz, country, folk, rap, reggae, techno, musicals, and world music as well as popular music trends, styles, record labels, venues, and music festivals.

The Encyclopedia of the musical theatre / Kurt Ga¨nzl
Ref. ML102 .M88 G3 2001 3 v. (2nd ed.)

Grove Music Online
Ref. ML100 .N48 2001 29 vols.

Web access to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

See specific topics or the chapters on "Pop" and "Popular music".

A Guide to popular music reference books : an annotated bibliography / Gary Haggerty.
Ref. ML128 .P63 H34 1995

Includes key resources such as bibliographies, discographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias, dictionaries of terms, and indexes to printed and recorded music of the popular music style (including jazz, Tin Pan Alley, musical theatre, rhythm & blues, blues, rock music, country music and gospel music. Folk idioms largely excluded).

The Literature of rock: II (1979-1983) and III (1984-199) / Hoffmann and Cooper.
Ref. ML128 .R6 H63 1995 2 v.

A pathfinder bringing together, in one bibliography, a diverse array of sources (books, journal articles, etc.) related to rock music. Arranged according to an historical outline of the genre.

Popular music since 1955 : a critical guide to the literature / Paul Taylor.
Ref. ML128 .P63 T39 1985

Covers the business, social and artistic aspects of popular music, forms of popular music, and lives and works of the artists, through the literature between 1955-1984.

Popular music: the key concepts / Roy Shuker. 2nd ed.
Ref. ML102 .P66 S58 2005

A comprehensive A-Z guide to the key terms and concepts current in the broad body of writing within popular music studies

The Rock song index : essential information on the 7,500 most important songs of rock and roll / Bruce Pollock.
Ref. ML128 .R6 P65 1997

Celebrates the song; arranged alphabetically by artist/performer, also with alphabetical song title index.

Internet Resources

The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia

CANOE - JAM! Music's Canadian POP Music Encyclopedia chronicles nearly 1,300 Canadian contemporary pop music artists from the 1950s to the present; written by Toronto-based music writer Jaimie Vernon.

Encyclopedia of Music in Canada

Search specific topics or Canadian artists/performers (e.g. Barenaked Ladies).

Popular Groups

A-Z list of artist-specific web sites provided by Indiana University School of Music's William and Gayle Cook Music Library. Also Rock and Pop links through Genres and Types of Music at Worldwide Internet Music Resources.

Popular Music

Links provided by University of Washington Music Library.

Reason to Rock: rock music as art form

A web book by Herb Bowie, with elements of rock, artists and tracks.

Topical Popular Music sites