music — Bunk History

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Prince's Epic 'Purple Rain' Tour: An Oral History

Members of the Revolution look back on Prince's massive, awe-inspiring 'Purple Rain' tour in our exclusive oral history.

by David Browne via Rolling Stone on June 22, 2017

The Syncopated Geography of Hip-Hop

Music scholar Katya Deve explores the history and geography of hip-hop.

by Katya Deve via ArcGIS StoryMaps on May 12, 2017

Guitar Shorty sitting on a bench outside of a house, and playing guitar while smoking a cigar.

Put on my Clothes and Look Like Somebody Else

The life of Guitar Shorty was a mixture of facts, lies and fantasy. He was a blues musician who lived far outside mainstream society.

by Sarah Bryan via Oxford American on April 17, 2017

The Notorious Night Biggie Was Murdered in Los Angeles

Shaq, Baron Davis, and Nick Van Exel reflect on The Notorious B.I.G., his murder, and the city they called home.

by Justin Tinsley via Andscape on March 8, 2017

How The Hutchinson Family Singers Achieved Pop Stardom with an Anti-Slavery Anthem

"Get Off the Track!" borrowed the melody of a racist hit song and helped give a public voice to the abolitionist movement.

by Tom Maxwell via Longreads on March 7, 2017

Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield

The Story of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, America's First Black Pop Star

The 19th century singer forced critics and audiences to reconcile their ears with their racism.

by Adam Gustafson via The Conversation on February 7, 2017

“Jingle Bells” History Takes Surprising Turn

A researcher in Boston discovers that the beloved Christmas favorite was first performed in a Boston minstrel hall.

by Joel Brown via BU Today on December 8, 2016

How Rock and Roll Became White

And how the Rolling Stones, a band in love with black music, helped lead the way to rock’s segregated future.

by Jack Hamilton via Slate on October 6, 2016

Strummin’ on the Old Banjo

How an African instrument got a racist reinvention.

by Ben Marks via Collectors Weekly on October 4, 2016

A Hamilton Skeptic on Why the Show Isn’t As Revolutionary As It Seems

"It's still white history. And no amount of casting people of color disguises the fact that they're erasing people of color from the actual narrative."

by Lyra Monteiro, Rebecca Onion via Slate on April 5, 2016

Prayers for Richard

Reflections on the life of Little Richard, the star who mistook a satellite for a ball of fire.

by David Ramsey via Oxford American on December 11, 2015

Jim Crow-era postcard with illustration of a black boy in the jaws of an alligator

How America Bought and Sold Racism, and Why It Still Matters

How the objects in the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia can help us understand today's prejudice and racial violence.

by Lisa Hix via Collectors Weekly on November 10, 2015

The Cruel Truth About Rock And Roll

A lifelong fan reflects on how sexual exploitation is part of rock's DNA.

by Ann Powers via NPR on July 15, 2015

The Song That Never Ends: Why Earth, Wind & Fire's 'September' Sustains

How the Earth, Wind & Fire hit "September" came into being, and why it continues to unite the generations on the dance floor.

by Dan Charnas via NPR on September 19, 2014

A Little Bit Softer Now, a Little Bit Softer Now…

The gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music.

by William Weir via Slate on September 15, 2014

A Raised Voice

How Nina Simone turned the movement into music.

by Claudia Roth Pierpont via The New Yorker on August 11, 2014

Musicians and producers around a soundboard listening to a recording.

How Stax Records Set an Example for America

Nelson “Little D” Ross talks soul and significance with music historian Robert Gordon.

by Robert Gordon, Nelson Ross via The Bitter Southerner on February 11, 2014

The 10 Best Songs About Illegal Immigration

Over the past decade, music devoted to the cause of amnesty for undocumented immigrants has flourished across the U.S.

by Gustavo Arellano via OC Weekly on November 12, 2013

Police car.

The Orchestra

What are the origins of the mechanical siren?

by George Prochnik via Cabinet on March 1, 2011

Circus Sideshow, by Georges Seurat, 1887–88.

Unforgettable

W.E.B. Du Bois on the beauty of sorrow songs.

via Lapham’s Quarterly on January 1, 1903

A copy of Billboard features an image of Michael Jackson on the cover.

Bring Back Recurrents

How a decision sparked by the death of one of the world’s biggest pop stars knocked the Billboard 200 out of alignment.

by Ernie Smith via Tedium on August 1, 2025

Thomas Kinkade

The Painter of the Right

Thomas Kinkade’s paintings show conservatives a world they have already won.

by Sarah Jones via Dissent on July 16, 2025

Jimmy Swaggart

How Jimmy Swaggart Changed American Christianity

The disgraced televangelist built his career on an undeniable talent. His downfall contributed to a major shift in how Americans viewed religious leaders.

by Daniel N. Gullotta via The Bulwark on July 3, 2025

Magazine ad for a shower radio, showing a man happily singing while he bathes.

The Wet History of Media in the Bathroom

How media technologies made themselves at home in one of the most private spaces of modern life.

by Rachel Plotnick via The MIT Press Reader on June 12, 2025

Ella Fitzgerald performing in Paris, 1961

Rare Gift, Rare Grit

Ella Fitzgerald performed above the emotional fray.

by Martha Bayles via The Hedgehog Review on May 23, 2025

The Young Lords in New York, 1969-1976.

How New York City’s Radical Social Movements Gave Rise to Hip-Hop

The revolutionary history behind one of America’s main musical exports.

by Dean Van Nguyen via Literary Hub on May 6, 2025

Diagram of a movement experiment studying abnormalities in walking

The Making of the American Culture of Work

Building the assumption of work’s meaningfulness happened across many different institutions and types of media.

by Max L. Chapnick via Commonplace on April 22, 2025

Illustration of Edmond Dédé.

An 1887 Opera by a Black Composer Finally Surfaces

Edmond Dédé’s “Morgiane” shows how diversity initiatives can promote works of real cultural value.

by Alex Ross via The New Yorker on February 24, 2025

David Bowie singing into a microphone wearing a feather boa and tights.

How Pop Came Out of the Closet

Jon Savage’s “The Secret Public” traces the influence of queer artists on a hostile culture.

by Samuel Clowes Huneke via The New Republic on February 14, 2025

Newspaper clips depicting opinions on recorded music

When Hollywood Union Members Embraced Artificial Music

In 1929, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) railed against the growing trend of recorded music in movie theaters instead of live musicians.

by Louis Anslow via Pessimists Archive on February 5, 2025

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