Bibliography and Discography, Music District
Audiography“The Beat” Liaison CD LIA 1230. A double compact disc highlighted by classic go go performances from the 1980s through the early 2000s. In addition to tracks by Rare Essence, EU, Junk Yard Band, and Sugar Bear, this enhanced disc features video and interview material.
“Chuck Brown–Greatest Hits” Raw Ventures VPA007-2. From “Bustin’ Loose” to “Run Go” to “We Need Some Money,” this release really lives up to its name.
“Fathers and Sons” Spirit Feel 1001. This reissue looks back to the late 1930s through the middle 1950s for strong releases by The Nightingales, The Soul Stirrers, The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, The Sensational Nightingales.
“Saints Paradise: Trombone Shout Bands from the United House of Prayer,” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings CD 40117. This is the only commercially issued anthology of shout bands, which includes stirring performances by Madison’s Lively Stones, McCollough Sons of Thunder, Happyland Band, Madison Prayer Band, and Clouds of Heaven.
“A Warrior On The Battlefield (A Capella 1920s-1940s)” Rounder CD 1137. A somewhat random anthology that groups together groups ranging from the bass-driven Silver Leaf Quartette of Norfolk to the delightfully idiosyncratic Pullman Porters Quartette, the final five selections by the Golden Gate Quartet are arguably the best of the bunch.
Bibliography
Ray Allen. Singing in the Spirit: African-American Sacred Quartets in New York City (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991). An ethnographic study of quartets in New York City.
Kip Lornell. “Happy in the Service of the Lord:” African-American Sacred Vocal Harmony Quartets in Memphis (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1995). A look at the quartet community in Memphis, which includes a chapter on the development of quartets across the United States.
Kip Lornell and Charles Stephenson. The Beat: Go Go’s Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop (New York: Billboard Books, 2001). The first book-length study of this D.C.-based genre.
John Morthland. “Dancin’ With Daddy G,” The Oxford American–Double issue on Southern Music (Issue 16), pp. 106-11. A fascinating look at the relationship between Daddy Grace the musical traditions found in the United House of Prayer for All People.
Nick Spitzer. Brochure notes for “Saints Paradise: Trombone Shout Bands from the United House of Prayer,” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings CD 40117.
Kip Lornell
Deartment of Music
The George Washington University
August 2004
