Skip to Main Content

Music: Popular Music

A comprehensive resource guide for music research

Popular Music Guides and Encyclopedias

All Music Guide: The Best CDs, Albums, & Tapes / Michael Erlewine, ed
REF ML 156.9 .A56 1992

Encyclopedia of Popular Music / Irwin Stambler
REF ML 102 .P66 G84 2006 v.1-10

Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul / Irwin Stambler
REF ML 102 .P66 S8 1989

Encyclopedia of Popular Music in America / Robert Lissauer
REF ML 128 .P63 L57 1996 v.1-3

Encyclopedia of Rock / Phil Hardy & David lang
REF ML 102 .R6 H37 1988

The Oxford Companion to Popular Music / Peter Gammond
REF ML 102 .P66 G35 1991

The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music / ed. by Donald Clarke
REF ML 102 .P66 P45 1989

Popular Music: A Reference Guide / Roman Iwaschkin
ML 128 .P63 I95 1986

Rock Song Index: Essential Information on the 7,500 Most Important Songs of Rock and Roll / Bruce Pollock
REF ML 128 .R6 P65 1997

The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll / Jim Miller, ed.
REF ML 3534 .R64 1980

The Rolling Stone Record Guide: Reviews and Ratings of almost 10,000 Currently Available Rock, Pop, Soul, Country, Blues, Jazz, and Gospel Albums / Dave Marsh
REF ML 156.4 .P6 M37 (1979)

Popular Music General Reference

The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz, 1900-1950
REF ML 102 .P66 K55 v.1-4

Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World / John Shepherd, ed.
REF ML 102 .P66 C66 2003 v.1-7 (and online)

The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock, & Soul / Irwin Stambler
REF ML 102 .P66 S8 1989

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music / Colin Larkin, ed.
REF ML 102 .P66 G84 2006 v.1-10

The Encyclopedia of Rock / Phil Hardy & Dave Laing
REF ML 102 .R6 H37 1988

The Great Song Thesaurus / Roger Lax & Frederick Smith
REF ML 128 .S3 L4 1989

Lissauer's Encyclopedia of Popular Music in America: 1888 to the Present / Robert Lissauer
REF ML 128 .P63 L57 1996 v.1-3

The Literature of Rock 1954-1978 / Frank Hoffmann
REF ML 128 .R6 H6

The Oxford Companion to Popular Music / Peter Gammond
REF ML 102 .P66 G35 1991

The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music / Donald Clarke, ed.
REF ML 102 .P66 P45 1989

Popular Music: An Annotated Index of American Popular Songs
REF ML 120 .U5 S5 v.1-6 + Suppl.

Rock: An Illustrated History / Stephen Barnard
REF ML 3534 .B32 1986

The Rock & Roll Almanac / Mark Bego
REF ML 3534 .B43 1996

Rock Music in American Popular Culture: Rock 'n' Roll Resources / B. Lee Cooper
REF ML 3534 .C663 1995

The Rock Music Source Book / Bob Macken, Peter Fornatale, & Bill Ayres
REF ML 3534 .M3

Rock Stars / Pop Stars: A Comprehensive Bibliography 1955-1994 / Brady J. Leyser, ed.
REF ML 128 .R6 L49 1994

The Rock Who's Who / Brock Helander
REF ML 102 .R6 H5 1996

That Old Time Rock & Roll: A Chronicle of an Era 1954-1963 / Richard Aquila
REF ML 3534 .A68 1989

Who Wrote That Song? / Dick Jacobs & Harriet Jacobs
REF ML 120 .U5 J23 1994

Individual Artists

Backbeat: Earl Palmer's Story / Tony Scherman
ML 419 .P38 S34 1999

The Beatles: The Ultimate Recording Guide / Allen J. Wiener
OVERSIZE ML 156.7 .B4 W53 1992

Bob Dylan: A Bio-Bibliography / William McKeen
ML 420 .D98 M25 1993

Dark Star: The Tragic Story of Roy Orbison / Ellis Amburn
ML 429 .O78 A8 1990

Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain / Charles R. Cross
ML 420 .C59 C76 2001

Home Before Daylight: My Life on the Road with the Grateful Dead / Steve Parish
ML 421 .G72 P37 2003

Me and a Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley / Jerry Schilling
ML 420 .P96 S33 2006

Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and The Doors / John Densmore
ML 419 .D46 A3 1990

The Velvet Underground / Richard Witts
ML 421 .V44 W58 2006

Singles/Albums

The All Music Book of Hit Albums: The Top 10 US & UK Album Charts from 1960 to the Present Day (1995) / Dave McAleer
REF ML 156.4 .P6 M42 1995

All Music Guide: The Best CDs, Albums, & Tapes / Michael Erlewine & Scott Bultman
REF ML 156.9 .A56 1992

American Popular Songs from the Revolutionary War to the Present / David Ewen
ML 128 .N3 E9

The Billboard Book of Number One Hits / Fred Bronson
REF ML 156.4 .P6 B76 1985

The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits / Adam White & Fred Bronson
REF ML 156.4 .B6 W55 1993

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 1955 to Present (1983) / Joel Whitburn
REF ML 156.4 .P6 W473

Billboard Top 1000 Singles, 1955-1992 / Joel Whitburn
REF ML 156.4 .P6 W445 1993

Popular Music: An Annotated Index of American Popular Songs
REF ML 120 .U5 S5

Rock Record / Terry Hounsome & Tim Chambre
REF ML 156.4 .R6 H68

Rock Song Index: Essential Information on the 7,500 Most Important Songs of Rock and Roll / Bruce Pollock
REF ML 128 .R6 P65 1997

The Rolling Stone Record Guide: Reviews and Ratings of Almost 10,000 Currently Available Rock, Pop, Soul, Country, Blues, Jazz, and Gospel Albums / Dave Marsh, ed.
REF ML 156.4 .P6 M37

Top 40 Music on Compact Disc, 1955-1981 / Pat Downey
REF ML 156.4 .P6 D695 1994