Overview

In the World War II era, big bands and swing music reached the heights of popularity with soldiers as well as friends and loved ones back home. Many entertainers such as Glenn Miller also served in the military, or supported the war effort with bond drives and entertaining the troops at home and abroad. In addition to big band and swing music, musicals, jazz, blues, gospel and country music were also popular. Chapters on each, along with an analysis of the evolution of record companies, records, radios, and television are included here, for students, historians, and fans of the era. Includes a timeline of the music of the era, an appendix of the Broadway and Hollywood Musicals, 1939-1945, and an appendix of Songs, Composers, and lyricists, 1939-1945. An extensive discography and bibliography, along with approximately 35 black and white photos, complete the volume.

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Reviews

[A]n informative, informal, and useful book…..[I]t will nicely serve its intended audience and will be a useful resource for those embarking on the study of American popular and classical music. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates; general readers. * Choice * Filled with illuminating, seldom-seen photos of musicians and the anonymous figures they entertained, this book offers a revealing and uncommon perspective on World War II. Coauthors William and Nancy Young….look at the war through developments in popular music, including jazz, country, classical, and commercial. They manage their diverse subject by fully exploring each genre in eight lively, chronologically organized essay-style chapters. A music-focused wartime chronology and two quick-reference appendixes conclude the book. Highly recommended for modern history and music collections. * Library Journal *

Author Information

William H. Young is a freelance writer and independent scholar. He retired in 2000 after 36 years from Lynchburg College where he taught American Studies and popular culture. Young has published books and articles on various aspects of popular culture, including three Greenwood volumes co-written with his wife, Nancy K. Young. Nancy K. Young is a researcher and independent scholar. She retired in 2005 after 26 years from a career in management consulting. With her husband, William H. Young, she has co-written three recent Greenwood titles, The 1930s, The 1950s, and Music of the Great Depression.

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