Traces black popular music in the U.S. with a special focus on spirituals, ragtime, the blues, early jazz, R&B, Motown, funk, soul, and rap. Examines how these styles have been borrowed by the American music industry.
A historical survey of rock music (blues, rock, soul, metal, rap, etc.) from circa 1950 to the present, with emphasis on popular music as music and popular music as social history.