Preliminary Bibliography of Best-Known Black Appalachian Musicians

Abstract

African-American musicians have lived in, contributed to, and influenced Appalachian music since the introduction of the banjo and African work songs and chants through modern blues, jazz, gospel, pop, and rock music. While some of these musicians have been documented for their individual achievements, only recently have they been considered collectively in terms of the Appalachian region. This bibliography is not a comprehensive collection of all black music in Appalachia, but it highlights the best-known artists who were born within the Appalachian region. It does not include scores or record reviews. It favors blues and folk music over sacred, jazz, RB however, only those about whom there is published material in print--books, articles, newspaper columns, sound recordings, or videos--are listed in this index. Sources containing information about three or more included musicians or containing a general discussion of black music in Appalachia can be found under General Sources. Sources for individual musicians and groups follow the general headings and are categorized alphabetically by musician, then by category of material, then by entry. While this project reflects time restraints and the methodology does not cover every black Appalachian musician exhaustively, it is the first to compile the major known sources of the black artists in the region. General Sources General Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Guides Arnaudon, Jean-Claude. 1977. Dictionnaire du blues. Paris: Filipacchi. Carr, Ian. 1988. Jazz: The essential companion. New York: Prentice-Hall. Clarke, Donald. 1989. The Penguin encyclopedia of popular music. New York: Viking Penguin. Cowley, John, and Paul Oliver. 1996. The new Blackwell guide to recorded blues. Oxford: Blackwell. Harris, Sheldon. 1979. Blues who's who. 5th ed. New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House. Kernfeld, Barry, ed. 2002. The new Grove dictionary of jazz. 3rd ed. New York: Grove's Dictionaries. Kinkle, Roger D. 1974. The complete encyclopedia of popular music and jazz, 1900-1950. New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House. Larkin, Colin. 1993. The Guinness who's who of blues. 2nd ed. Enfield, England: Guinness World Records. --. 1998. The encyclopedia of popular music. 3rd ed. New York: Muze; distributed in the U.S. by Grove Dictionaries. Santelli, Robert. …