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OnAmerican Popular Music explores the rich tapestry of popular music in the United States – from its origins to today. Based on Dr. Simon Anderson’s title, OnAmerican Popular Music focuses on listening and references over 600 pieces of streaming music linked directly from within the text.

Note: In order to receive credit for completion, please click the “Mark Complete” button at the end of each lesson page.

Getting Started

Course Preamble
Course Description Guide

Lesson 1 – American Popular Music in the Nineteenth Century

Introduction
Blackface Minstrelsy
Sheet Music
Sheet Music (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 2 – Tin Pan Alley and Ragtime

Introduction
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley Promotional Techniques
The Music of Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley Song Types
Ragtime
Ragtime and Tin Pan Alley
Conclusion

Lesson 3 – Rural Blues and Urban Blues

Introduction
Musical and Poetic Form of the 12-Bar Blues
Rural Blues
Urban Blues
Boogie Woogie
Commercial or Arranged Blues
Conclusion

Lesson 4 – Dixieland

Introduction
New Orleans: The Birthplace of Jazz
Musical Components of Dixieland Jazz
Key Figures in Dixieland Jazz
Dixieland on the Move
Recording Jazz
Conclusion

Lesson 5 – Swing and Big Bands

Introduction
Music Consumption in the Swing Era
Society Syncopators
Big Bands
White Swing Bandleaders
Kansas City Swing
Conclusion

Lesson 6 – Broadway and the Development of the American Musical

Introduction
From Tin Pan Alley to Broadway Musical
The Composers of Broadway
The Age of Great Standards
Conclusion

Lesson 7 – Hillbilly and Country and Western Music

Introduction
The Earliest Country Music
The Earliest Country Music (Continued)
Marketing and Consuming Hillbilly Music
The Rise of Country and Western Music
The Rise of Country and Western Music (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 8 – Traditional Pop in the 1940s and 1950s

Introduction
Louis Armstrong
Frank Sinatra
Rosemary Clooney
Tony Bennett
Perry Como
Doris Day
Patti Page
The Boswell Sisters
The Andrews Sisters
The Golden Gate Quartet
The Ink Spots
The Hit Parade
Conclusion

Lesson 9 – Doo-Wop and Rhythm and Blues

Doo-Wop and Rhythm and Blues
Gospel Music
Vocal Harmony Groups
Early Rhythm and Blues
From Gospel to Rhythm and Blues
Rhythm and Blues Crosses Over
Conclusion

Lesson 10 – Early Rock and Roll

Introduction
New Technologies and Means of Consumption
Alan Freed
Cover Versions
Elvis’s Cover Versions
Sam Phillips and Sun Records
Colonel Tom Parker and Presley at RCA-Victor
Conclusion

Lesson 11 – Rockabilly

Introduction
Rockabilly
Jerry Lee Lewis
Johnny Cash
Other Rockabilly Stars
Buddy Holly and the Crickets
The Day the Music Died
Conclusion

Lesson 12 – Teen-Styled Rock Music in the Early 1960s

Introduction
Payola
American Bandstand
The Teen Idol
Brill Building
Conclusion

Lesson 13 – The Record Producer and the Rise of Surf Rock

Introduction
The Rise of the Producer
Phil Spector
Girl Groups
Surf Rock
Conclusion

Lesson 14 – Soul

Introduction
The African American Presence in Pop
Motown 1
Motown 2
Motown 3
Atlantic and Stax
Conclusion

Lesson 15 – The British Invasion

Introduction
Rock and Roll in the United Kingdom
Becoming the Beatles
Becoming the Beatles (Continued)
Beatlemania
The Music of the Beatles
From Songs to Recordings
Making the Rolling Stones
Jagger and Richards as Songwriters
Breaking into the United States
The Rolling Stones’ Music
Conclusion

Lesson 16 – American Reactions to the British Invasion

Introduction
Garage Bands
Rock on TV
Rock Made for TV
Rock Made for TV (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 17 – Bluegrass

Introduction
The Roots of Bluegrass
Bill Monroe and the Birth of Bluegrass
Bill Monroe and the Birth of Bluegrass (Continued)
Bluegrass Takes Off
Bluegrass and the Folk Music Revival
Conclusion

Lesson 18 – Folk and Folk Rock

Introduction
Folk Music Before the 1960s
Authentic vs. Commercial
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (Continued)
The Rise of Folk Rock
Dylan’s Influence During the 1960s
Conclusion

Lesson 19 – Psychedelic Rock

Introduction
Toward a Higher Consciousness
The Ambitious Single
The Ambitious Single (Continued)
Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic Rock (Continued)
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair
Conclusion

Lesson 20 – Country Rock and Southern Rock

Introduction
Country Rock
Country Rock (Continued)
Southern Rock 1
Southern Rock 2
Southern Rock 3
Conclusion

Lesson 21 – From Soul to Funk

Introduction
Music and the Civil Rights Movement
James Brown
James Brown (Continued)
James Brown’s Band
Other Spokespeople for Black Power
Conclusion

Lesson 22 – Funk

Introduction
The Language of Funk
Sly and the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone (Continued)
George Clinton and P-Funk
George Clinton and P-Funk (Continued)
Funk and the Media
Conclusion

Lesson 23 – Country Music Goes Mainstream

Introduction
Country Music on Television
Honky-Tonk Returns
Honky-Tonk Returns (Continued)
Women in Country Music
The Outlaws of Country Music
The Outlaws of Country Music (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 24 – Hard Rock and Heavy Metal

Introduction
Hard Rock: Early Examples
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin (Continued)
Led Zeppelin’s Influence
Heavy Metal’s Musical Style
British Heavy Metal
American Heavy Metal
Conclusion

Lesson 25 – Disco

Introduction
Predecessors and Roots of Disco
The Music and Technology of Disco
The Music and Technology of Disco (Continued)
Disco Enters the Mainstream
Disco Enters the Mainstream (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 26 – Punk Rock and New Wave

Introduction
The Roots of Punk: The Velvet Underground
New York Punk
The Musical Language of New Wave
New Wave at CBGB
New Wave Looks Backward
Conclusion

Lesson 27 – Detroit Techno

Introduction
The Technology of Techno
Roots of Techno
Chicago House Music
Detroit Techno 1
Detroit Techno 2
Detroit Techno 3
Conclusion

Lesson 28 – MTV

Introduction
The Invention of MTV
A Second British Invasion?
A Second British Invasion? (Continued)
Race and MTV: The Case of Michael Jackson
Race and MTV: The Case of Michael Jackson (Continued)
Sex, Feminism, and MTV: The Case of Madonna
Conclusion

Lesson 29 – Heavy Metal in the 1980s

Introduction
The Second Generation of British Heavy Metal
The Second Generation of British Heavy Metal (Continued)
American Heavy Metal
American Heavy Metal (Continued)
Hair Metal
Thrash Metal
Conclusion

Lesson 30 – Hip-Hop’s Roots and Origins

Introduction
The Roots of Hip-Hop
The Roots of Hip-Hop (Continued)
Early Commercial Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop Goes Mainstream
Hip-Hop Goes Mainstream (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 31 – Hip-Hop Comes of Age

Introduction
Political Hip-Hop
Sample Based Hip-Hop
Sample Based Hip-Hop (Continued)
Gangsta Rap
Pop Rap
Conclusion

Lesson 32 – The Rise of Alternative Rock

Introduction
The Rise of Alternative Rock
Grunge Rock
Grunge Rock (Continued)
Riot Grrrls
Jam Bands
Conclusion

Lesson 33 – Alternative and Metal in the 1990s

Introduction
Listening to Music in the 1990s
Britpop
Industrial
Industrial (Continued)
Pop Punk
Conclusion

Lesson 34 – Hip-Hop in the 1990s

Introduction
Dr. Dre and the West Coast Style
Dr. Dre and the West Coast Style (Continued)
East Coast Hip-Hop
East Coast vs. West Coast 1
East Coast vs. West Coast 2
East Coast vs. West Coast 3
Conclusion

Lesson 35 – Hybrids and Genres Without Definition

Introduction
Rap Meets Rock 1
Rap Meets Rock 2
Rap Meets Rock 3
Everything but the Kitchen Sink
Everything but the Kitchen Sink (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 36 – Country Music in the 1980s and 1990s

Introduction
SoundScan
New Country, Old Country
New Country, Old Country (Continued)
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks (Continued)
1990s Country Superstars
1990s Country Superstars (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 37 – Popular Music and Controversy After 9/11

Introduction
The Post-9/11 Clear Channel Memorandum
The Post-9/11 Clear Channel Memorandum (Continued)
Country Musicians React to 9/11
The Dixie Chicks’ Response
The Dixie Chicks’ Response (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 38 – Music Creation and Distribution in the 21st Century

Introduction
American Idol
American Idol (Continued)
YouTube
Streaming Audio
The Mash-Up
The Mash-Up (Continued)
Conclusion

Lesson 39 – Conjunto Music

Introduction
Conjunto
The Accordion
The Accordion (Continued)
Corrido
Corrido (Continued)
Ranchera
Lydia Mendoza
1950s Conjunto and Valerio Longoria
El Conjunto Bernal
Conclusion

Lesson 40 – Mexican American Popular Music

1950s and 60s: Joining the Mainstream
1960s and 70s: La Onda Chicana
Little Joe
1980s: Tejano
Jimmy Gonzalez y Mazz and David Lee Garza y los Musicales
Patsy Torres
East Los Angeles Rock: Los Lobos
East Lose Angeles Rock: Los Lobos (Continued)
Linda Ronstadt: Mariachi
Mariachi Vargas and Mexican Mariachi
Traje de Charro
Son jalisciense (Song from Jalisco)
1990s: Latino Pride
Selena
Conclusion