Explore musical genres, their history and origins including African, Blues, Classical/Orchestral, Country/Bluegrass, Cuban/Latin/Salsa, Gospel, Hymns and Spirituals, Gullah Music: Evolution of African Music, Hip-Hop/Rap, Jazz, Musical Theater, Opera, Pop and Soul, Rhythm and Blues, and Rock and Roll. Be sure to view the individual assets that stand alone, just below the Topics, and have not been included in a specific topic or genre.
Also explore our Musical Instruments and Musicians and Music History sections. We also have a section on Holiday Music.
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Dizzy Gillespie was awarded the coveted Handel Medal, which is New York City’s most prestigious arts award. Gillespie is also part of the Newport Jazz Festival Program, and introduced friends and...
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Jazz legend John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. Dizzy Gillespie, Cheraw's claim to fame, filled many musical roles, such as trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and singer...
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"B" is for Brown, James (1933-2006). Musician. Born in Barnwell County, Brown began his career in Augusta in the 1950s when he formed the Flames—the first of a series of backing bands that would...
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KCRU is an “alternative” radio station, broadcasting from Rice University, in Houston, Texas. Here, students can learn the ropes of what it is like to work in the radio industry. The station prides...
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Country music star, and “gentleman farmer” Randy Owen of Fort Payne, Alabama, is the lead singer in the country band “Alabama.” Whenever Randy is not out touring on the road, he spends time on his...
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Segment 2 follows musician and composer Leon “Pappy” Self. Leon is a fiddle player, whose been pickin’ and singing in Texas since 1931. He was hired by a band called The Light Crust Doughboys, to...
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Host Rich Panter takes viewers around the Wilson Lock and Dam, an area also known as “The Shoals,” located in northwest Alabama. The historic sites featured are the shoals, the home of Helen Keller...
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At Bill’s Pickin’ Parlor, in Columbia, South Carolina, every Saturday, patrons can come to create “Bluegrass Jam Sessions.” Bill Wells talks about how his Pickin’ Parlor came to be, and his passion...
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When someone thinks of steel drums, they think of the Caribbean. Wheeler Matthews is a steel drum maker from Beaufort, S.C. He discusses his inspirations for wanting to create steel drums, and how...
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James Brown was born in 1933 in Barnwell, SC, where he spent his early childhood. He developed his interest in music at an early age, performing gospel songs and first playing piano and later bass and...
