Spirit of America Bookstore

America's  Music

topical pages: Bluegrass Page Country / Hillbilly / Folk Page Rock 'n' Roll Page Jazz Music Page Saxophone Dept. Dixieland Jazz Dept.

on this page: Ragtime Big Bands & Swing Classical / Composers The Blues / R&B Artists & Groups Dates in Musical History

General  &  Genre  Topics
African American Sheet Music 1850-1920
Musica de la Frontera: Arhoolie Archives at U.C.L.A.
Museum of Making Music, in Carlsbad, CA
"The American Rag": traditional jazz & ragtime newspaper
FestivalFinder: Music Festivals in North America
U.S. National Recording Registry [est.2000]

	"The Black 100: A Ranking of The Most Influential African-Americans, Past and Present" [orig 1993, rev 1998] by Colombus Salley Beyond the obvious – Martin Luther King, Jr. #1 & Frederick Douglass #2 – Afro-American artists & entertainers who made this list include Paul Robeson #24, Langston Hughes #34, Alex Haley #48, James Baldwin #49, Richard Wright #50, Zora Neale Hurston #52, Bill Cosby #62, Duke Ellington #67, Louis Armstrong #68, Toni Morrison #73, Lorraine Hansberry #77, Oscar Micheaux #81, Maya Angelou #85, Dick Gregory #88, Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis #91, Harry Belafonte #92 & Marian Anderson #94 Citadel Press 9x6 pb [rev 1/98] for $18.21 Citadel Press hardcover [2/93] out of print/used
	"The Cambridge History of American Music" [1999] Edited by David Nicholls Cambridge Univ Press 9x6 pb [6/2004] for $36.22 Cambridge Univ Press hardcover [1/99] for $120.00
	"Guitar: An American Life" [2005] by Tim Brookes Atlantic Monthly Press 9¼x6½ hardcover [4/2005] for $16.32 Blackstone UNABR audio CD [5/2005] priced for rental market Blackstone UNABR audio [5/2005] priced for rental market

browse 'music history & criticism' books at Amazon.com

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Gospel  Music

"The Gospel Sound: Good News & Bad Times" [1971] by Anthony Heilbut Limelight pb [25th Anniv Edition] for $13.60 S&S hardcover [11/71] out of print/used

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Hawaiian  &  Slack  Key  Music
Essential Hawai'ian Music category at Amazon

Keola Beamer
Cecilio & Kapono
Don Ho
Harry Owens & His Orchestra
Gabby Pahinui & Family

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Jukeboxes

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Barbershop  Quartets
Sweet Adelines Intl. [est. 1945]

Cajun  &  Zydeco  Music
Essential Cajun & Zydeco Music category at Amazon

Native  American  Music
Native American Music Awards

Piano  Rolls

The  Big  Bands  &  Swing

Art Deco and his Society Orchestra {based in Los Angeles, CA}
Mark Copeland with The Pat Longo Orchestra
Royal Crown Revue swing band [est. 1989]
Essential Swing Music category at Amazon

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'Big Bad Voodoo Daddy' Swing Band: browse music

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Count Basie & Orchestra
Essentials • concerts on VHS • autobiography [1/86]

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Cab Calloway & Orchestra: Jazz Legends CD [3/2003]

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Frankie Carle: browse music

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Crazy Rhythm Hot Society Orchestra (based in Southern California)

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Tommy Dorsey Orchestra: browse music

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Duke Ellington & Orchestra: Essentials • official website
browse music • concerts on VHS • concerts on DVD

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Ziggy Elman & His Orchestra: browse music

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Benny Goodman & Orchestra:
Essentials • Jazz Legends CD [4/2003] • free online radio programs

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Gordon Goodwin's 'Big Phat Band' [est. 2000]
browse music • official website

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Fletcher Henderson [1897-1952]: browse music • new book [1/2005]

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Woody Herman & 'The Thundering Herd': browse music

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Stan Kenton Band: browse music

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Kay Kyser & His Orchestra: browse music

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Jimmie Lunceford Big Band: browse music

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Glenn Miller & Orchestra: Essentials

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Larry Wheeler Big Band

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Big Bands Database
free online big band radio programs
San Diego [CA] Swings
Southern California Swing Info

	"The Big Bands" [1967] by George T. Simon S&S 9.6x6¼ pb [11/81] out of print/used Schirmer Books hardcover [7/2000] out of print/used
	"The Wonderful Era of the Great Dance Bands" [1972] by Leo Walker DaCapo Press 11x8½ pb [4/90] for $22.5 Doubleday hardcover [6/72] out of print/used
	"The Big Band Almanac" [1989] by Leo Walker DaCapo Press 10x7 pb [5/89] for $16.10
	"Jazz Legends: The Big Bands, Volume 1 - The Soundies" [2007] Storyville Films color/b&w DVD [7/2007] for $14.49 not listed on IMDb "Jazz Legends: The Big Bands, Volume 2 - The Soundies" [2007] Storyville Films color/b&w DVD [10/2007] for $14.49 not listed on IMDb more on Soundies [1940-46] on Magic Lantern's Distribution & Exhibition Page

Ragtime  
Colin D. MacDonald's Ragtime website
Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival & Institute
Orange County [CA] RagFest [Oct 2004 = #5]
West Coast Ragtime Society
West Coast Ragtime Festival [Nov 2004 = #18] in Sacramento, CA
Sutter Creek [CA] Ragtime Festival [Aug 2004 = #6]
Doc Wilson's Ragtime MIDI Files

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pianist Eubie Blake [1883-1983]
browse music • credits on Broadway

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Scott Joplin [1868-1917]: browse music • fansite

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'Jelly Roll' Morton
browse music • Jazz Legends CD [5/2003]

The  Blues  and  R & B

2003 was "The Year of the Blues"
Temple of Blues [chat room/forum]
Harvelle's in Santa Monica CA [est. 1931]
Mountain of Blues Festival [June 2004 = #7] in Ruidoso, NM
David Nathan's Soul Music [dot] com
Club Rhythm & Blues in Albuquerque, NM
WilLee's Blues Club in Santa Fe, NM

Essential Blues Music category at Amazon
Essential R&B Music category at Amazon

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Buddy Guy: browse music

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Albert King: browse music

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Son Seals [1942-2004]: browse music

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Joss Stone
browse music • record label's webpage • official website

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Muddy Waters: browse music

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Junior Wells: browse music

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Sonny Boy Williamson {real name Rice Miller}
browse music

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Howlin' Wolf {real name Chester Arthur Burnett}
browse music • Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1991

"Howlin' Wolf Story" on DVD [11/2003] for $16.99

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"Lightning In A Bottle: A One-Night History of the Blues" [Vulcan/Sony Oct 2004] Directed by Antoine Fuqua at the historic 'Salute to the Blues' concert at Radio City Music Hall in February 2003 video not yet available; full credits from IMDb Sony Classics official movie webpage Sony soundtrack CD [9/2004] 2 discs for $19.98

"Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey" [aired Sept-Oct 2003] Produced for PBS by Martin Scorsese Sony color DVD [10/2003] 7 disks for $97.99 Sony color VHS box set [10/2003] 7 tapes for $119.98 Hip-O Records audio CD set [9/2003] 5 disks for $55.98 full credits from IMDb JK's unofficial fansite series page official PBS series website companion book by Peter Guralnick, Robert Santelli, Helen George Warren & Christopher John Farley Amistad Press hardcover [9/2003] for $19.57

The seven-part film series includes:
opener "Feel Like Going Home" directed by Martin Scorsese
Sony soundtrack CD [9/2003] for $13.49
"The Soul of A Man" directed by Wim Wenders
Sony soundtrack CD [9/2003] for $13.49
"The Road to Memphis" directed by Richard Pearce
Sony soundtrack CD [9/2003] for $13.49
"Warming by the Devil's Fire" directed by Charles Burnett
Sony soundtrack CD [9/2003] for $13.49
"Godfathers and Sons" directed by Marc Levin
Sony soundtrack CD [9/2003] for $13.49
"Red, White & Blues" directed by Mike Figgis
Sony soundtrack CD [9/2003] for $13.49
"Piano Blues" directed by Clint Eastwood
Sony soundtrack CD [9/2003] for $13.49

Artist Compilations from Scorsese's "The Blues"
Allman Brothers: Mercury/Universal audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Eric Clapton: Polydor audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Jimi Hendrix: MCA audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Son House: Sony audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Robert Johnson: Sony audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
B.B. King: MCA audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
J.B. Lenoir: Chess audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Taj Mahal: Sony audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Keb' Mo': Sony audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Bessie Smith: Sony audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Stevie Ray Vaughan: Sony audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99
Muddy Waters: Chess audio CD [9/2003] for $10.99

Important Dates
in American Music History

Jan 1st: Country music legend Hank Williams died while enroute to a performance in Canton, Ohio in the back seat of his Cadillac near Oak Hill, West Virginia. [1953] Birthday of Elvis Aron Presley, in Tupelo MS [1935-77] Feb 3rd: Rock musicians Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper {J.P. Richardson} died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. [1959] Feb 13th: A.S.C.A.P. - The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers - was founded. [1914] Feb 19th: Thomas Alva Edison received a patent for his phonograph. [1878] March 5th: Country music performers Patsy Cline, 'Cowboy' Copas, and 'Hawkshaw' Hawkins died in a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee. [1963] March 21st: Release of "Rock Around the Clock", the first full-length rock & roll movie. [1956] March 25th: Release of movie "Blackboard Jungle", featuring the Bill Haley & the Comets recording of "Rock Around The Clock".   [1955] April 3rd: Inaugural broadcast of the Louisiana Hayride radio program from station KWKH in Shreveport LA. [1948] April 29th: Birthday of Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington [1899-1974] April 30th: Birthday of performer Willie Nelson in Abbott, TX [1933] May 24th: Birthday of musician Bob Dylan {nee Robert Zimmerman} in Hibbing, Minnesota [1941] June 18th: Columbia Records publicly unveiled its new long-playing ['LP'] phonograph record in New York City. [1948] Summer of 1951: "Rocket 88", considered the first rock'n'roll record, held the #1 position on the rhythm & blues charts for 5 weeks. July 4th: Birthday of Stephen Collins Foster [1826-64] July 5th: Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right" at Sun Studio in Memphis, TN. [1954] August 1st: Birth of country music, when Ralph Peer signed Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to recording contracts for Victor Records. [Bristol, Tennessee 1927] August 1-2: Launch of 24-hour Music Television, now MTV Networks. [1981] August 4: Birthday of musician Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong [1901-71] August 9th: Jerry Garcia, lead singer of the Grateful Dead rock band, died of a heart attack at age 53 in San Francisco, CA. [1995] August 15-17: Woodstock Music & Art Fair outside Bethel, NY. [1969] August 16th: Elvis Presley died at age 42, at Graceland Mansion in Memphis, TN. [1977] August 29th: Birthday of jazzman Charlie 'Bird' Parker [1920-55] Sept 1st: Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame & Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. [1995] Sept 7th: Birthday of rock legend Buddy Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock, Texas [1936-1959] Sept 13th: Birthday of William Smith 'Bill' Monroe, primary developer of bluegrass music, at Rosine, Kentucky [1911] Sept 17th: Birthday of singer / songwriter Hank Williams [1923-53] Sept 18th: Rock star Jimi Hendrix died in London, England at age 27. [1970] Sept 23rd: Birthday of Bruce Springsteen [1949] Sept 26th: Birthday of composer George Gershwin [1898-1937] Oct 4th: Rock singer Janis Joplin found dead in her Hollywood hotel room at age 27. [1970] Oct 17th: Creation of the Radio Corporation of America. [1919] Oct 18th: Birthday of Chuck Berry [1926] Nov 6th: Birthday of 'March King' John Philip Sousa in Washington, DC [1854-1932] Nov 15th: Debut of the National Broadcasting Company, with a network of 24 radio stations. [1926] Nov 28th: Inaugural broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry radio program {originally called the WSM Barn Dance}, from Studio A at station WSM in Nashville, Tennessee. [1925] Dec 1st: Buddy Holly and The Crickets performed "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue" on The Ed Sullivan Show. [1957] Dec 15th: A single-engine plane carrying bandleader Glenn Miller disappeared over the English Channel while enroute to Paris, France. [1944]

The  Spirit  of  Rock'N'Roll
now on its own page

Country / Hillbilly / Folk
now on its own page

Bluegrass  &  Traditional  Music
now on its own page

Jazz  &  Dixieland  Music
now on its own page

Artists  &  Groups

American  Musical  Pioneers

Louis Armstrong
Essentials | concerts on VHS | IMDb info

Jazz Legends CD [4/2003]
biography [7/97]
New Orleans [LA] Satchmo Summerfest [July-Aug 2003 = #3]
NYC House & Archive

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George M. Cohan

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Stephen Foster
browse music | fansite | PBS bio | PBS bio on VHS

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W.C. Handy

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Robert Johnson
browse music | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1986 | documentaries on VHS | career box set

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Leadbelly [real name Huddie Ledbetter]
Essentials | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1988

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Charley Patton: career box set | tribute album

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John Philip Sousa [1854-1932]  
browse music | fansite w/midis | Sousa Archive

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Later  Artists  &  Groups

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Jimmy Buffett: browse music

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Floyd Cramer [1933-97]
browse music | Essential CD | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 2003

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Jim Croce [1943-73]
browse music | widow's restaurant in San Diego, CA | official website

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Bob Dylan
browse music | Essential CD | limited edition boxed set [9/2003] 15 discs | IMDb info
browse books | concerts on VHS | concerts on DVD | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1988
"Chronicles: Vol. 1" autobiography [2004] by Bob Dylan
S&S hardcover [10/2004] for $16.32 | S&S pb [9/2005] for $10.78

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The Eagles Band
browse music | limited edition boxed set [3/2005] 9 discs
concerts on DVD | concerts on VHS | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1998

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George Gershwin [1898-1937]  
browse music | Essential CD | Wikipedia

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The Grateful Dead Band
browse music | concerts on VHS | concerts on DVD | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1994

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Vince Guaraldi [1928-76]: browse music | official website

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pianist Horst Jankowski [1936-98]: music | PK's fansite

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Janet Klein & her Parlor Boys Band (music of the 1910s, 20s & 30s}
browse music | official website

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guitarist Leo Kottke
browse music | Essential CD | songbook: paperback or CD-ROM

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Los Lobos Band: browse music

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drummer Sandy Nelson: browse music

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Willie Nelson
browse music | Essential CD | concerts on VHS | concerts on DVD

official Willie Nelson website

"On the {^Clean} Road Again: Biodiesel & The Future of The Family Farm" [2007] by Willie Nelson Fulcrum/Speaker's Corner 7x4½ pb [8/2007] for $9.95 see also: National Family Farm Coalition [est. 1986] website Alternative Energy Page at Working Minds / Solutions

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recording team The New York Brass

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singer-songwriter Sam Phillips: browse music | TM's fansite

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Carlos Santana
browse music | Essential CD | concerts on VHS | concerts on DVD
official website | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1998

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'The Boss' Bruce Springsteen
browse music | Essentials CD (3 discs) | concerts on DVD | concerts on VHS
official website | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1999
listed among Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People (May 2008)

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guitarist Joe Satriani: browse music

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Steely Dan Band
browse music | official website | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 2001   

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Thee Midnighters Band of East Los Angeles

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Townes Van Zandt [1944-97]: new docu film [July 2005]

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Neil Young
Spirit of America's Neil Young Page
browse music • official website • entry at Wikipedia

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Band
browse music | Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame 1997

"C.S.N.Y.: Dιjΰ Vu" concert documentary [indep July 2008] A record of the C.S.N.Y. band's "Freedom of Speech 2006" tour that included songs from Neil Young's "Living With War" CD. Co-written & directed by Neil Young (as Bernard Shakey) video/DVD/Blu-ray not available Warner Bros. live soundtrack CD [7/2008] 16 tracks for $14.99 full credits from IMDb • official movie site

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browse all music concerts on DVD at Amazon.com
browse all music concerts on VHS at Amazon.com

Classical  /  Composers

Essential Classical Music category at Amazon

"Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise & Fall" [2005] by Joseph Horowitz W.W. Norton 9¾x6½ hardcover [3/2005] for $26.37

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contralto Marian Anderson []

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P.D.Q. Bach [pseudonym of composer Peter Schickele]
browse music

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Aaron Copland [1900-90]  
browse music • Essential CD • Library of Congress

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composer Gordon Getty: audio CDs

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composer Philip Glass
browse music • official website

Godfrey Reggio's 'Qatsi' Trilogy Page
all 3 'Qatsi' soundtrack CDs

"Glass: A Portrait of Philip In Twelve Parts" [indep April 2008] Co-produced & directed by Scott Hicks; on-camera appearances by Woody Allen, Chuck Close, Errol Morris, Godfrey Reggio, Martin Scorsese & Ravi Shankar video/DVD not yet available; full credits from IMDb • official movie site

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Ferde Grofι [1892-1972]: browse music

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Victor Herbert

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Gustav Mahler [1860-1911]
browse music • JG's fansite • 1975 Ken Russell movie  on VHS | on DVD

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Cole Porter [1891-1964]
browse music • 2000 bio by WM • JXB's fansite • 2004 bio movie: credits + DVD + VHS

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Arnold Schoenberg [1874-1951]
browse music • Schφnberg Center in Austria

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Wm. Grant Still [1895-1978]
browse music • biography [3/2000] • papers at Duke Univ

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Morton Subotnik: browse music

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Artists & Groups    ―    The Blues and R&B    ―    Classical / Composers    ―    Dixieland Jazz

Ragtime    ―    Important Dates in Musical History    ―    Big Bands & Swing

Bluegrass Music Page    ―    Country / Hillbilly / Folk Page    ―    Jazz Music Page    ―    Rock 'n' Roll Page

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