Children's Books about the History of American Music

Here are just a few of the books we are going to share with children this week at the library:

Rockwell, Anne F, and Colin Bootman. Hey, Charleston!: The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band. Minneapolis:Carolrhoda Books, 2013. Print.

Parker, Robert A. Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008. Print.

Ryan, Pam M, and Brian Selznick. When Marian Sang. New York: Scholastic, 2002. Print.

Stamaty, Mark A. Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis  Shook Up Music, Me, and Mom. New York: Knopf, 2010. Print.

Golio, Gary, and Javaka Steptoe. Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow : a Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix. Boston: Clarion Books, 2010. Print.

Raschka, Christopher. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. New York: Orchard Books, 1992. Print.

The Bangles, Matthew Sweet, Cracker, and Marian Anderson

The Bangles in the 1980's:

The Bangles in 2009:

The Bangles are one of my favorite bands from the 80's. I included Hero Takes a Fall in all of my aerobics class tapes and I was blown away by their 1986 show at the historic DAR Constitution Hall.

Like The Beach Boys, The Bangles' vocal harmonies are just as tight live as they are in studio. Plus, the band members play instruments, sing, and look great all at the same time.

As you can see, I used to try to imitate Susanna Hoffs's hairstyle:



I also used to try to do that looking off to the side thing that Susanna Hoffs does.

I used to wear lots of bangles, too!

ANYWAY . . .

The reason I'm thinking about The Bangles so much is that I was pleasantly surprised to see Susanna Hoffs's name printed in the liner notes of the new Cracker album, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey. She co-wrote the beautiful love song, Darling One.

ps. The Bangles are back on tour with new music! For concert information, visit thebangles.com.

pps. A couple of years ago, Susanna Hoffs paired up with the wonderful Mr. Matthew Sweet for an album of duets. Check it out here.



ppps. Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend is one of my all-time favorite albums.

Sweet, Matthew. Girlfriend [Sound Recording] / Matthew Sweet. NY: Volcano, 1991.

pppps. A little bit about the DAR Constitution Hall . . .

When the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) refused to allow Marian Anderson to sing at their venue, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the prestigious organization and invited Anderson to sing before 59,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday, 1939. The DAR begged Anderson to perform for them a few years later, and she graciously accepted the apology and sang to a full house in 1942.

Monday is King Day

In honor of the upcoming Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, here are my three favorite picture books about the Civil Rights Movement:

Ryan, Pam Muñoz, and Brian Selznick. When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson : the Voice of a Century. New York: Scholastic Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0439269674.

Rappaport, Doreen, & Bryan Collier. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2001. ISBN: 978-0786807147.

Giovanni, Nikki, and Bryan Collier. Rosa. New York: Henry Holt, 2005. ISBN: 978-0805071061.

If you would like to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement, I highly recommend visiting the Library of Congress online exhibit, Voices of Civil Rights.

Have a happy King Day!

Love,
Rebecca