Women Icons of Popular Music: The Rebels, Rockers, and Renegades [2 volumes]

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Popular music owes greatly to the spirit of rebellion. In all of its diversified, experimental, modern-day micro-genres, music's roots were first watered by good old-fashioned social dissension- its incendiary heights pushed heavenward by radicals and rogue revolutionaries. And perhaps none are more influential and non-conformist than women. Always first in line to give convention a sound thrashing, women in music have penned sonic masterpieces, championed sweeping social movements, and breathed life into sounds yet unimagined. Today's guitar-wielding heroines continue to blaze the trail, tapping reservoirs and soundscapes still unknown to their male counterparts- hell hath no fury like a woman with an amplifier. Women Icons of Popular Music puts the limelight on 24 legendary artists who challenged the status quo and dramatically expanded the possibilities of women in the highly competitive music world. Using critical acclaim and artistic integrity as benchmarks of success, this can't-put-down resource features rich biographical and musical analyses of a diverse array of musicians from country, pop, rock, R&B, soul, indie, and hip-hop. It goes beyond the shorter, less detailed biographical information found in many women in rock compendiums by giving readers a more in-depth understanding of these artists as individuals, as well as providing a larger context-social, musical, political, and personal-for their success and legacy. Highlighted in sidebars throughout are related trends, movements, events, and issues to give readers a broad perspective of the defining moments in music and pop culture history. With discographies, illustrations, and a print and electronic resource guide, Women Icons of Popular Music is a rousing, insightful resource for students and music fans alike.

Reviews

Havranek has pooled an impressive list of leading women from a variety of musical genres, including country, alternative rock, hip-hop, R&B, and folk. The text is rigorously researched, with each chapter running approximately 20 pages in length and providing an overview of the artist and an examination of her early years; career path; mission, motivation, and processes; and legacy and other interests. The only drawback is the scarcity of photographs throughout. BOTTOM LINE: Dale Sherman's 20th Century Rock & Roll Women in Rock (Collector's Guide Pub., 2001) lacks the currency and diverse nature of the engaging and surprisingly cohesive Women Icons. From an introduction that weaves shared histories and destinies to a time line that makes for interesting comparisons of such a varied group of artists, Havranek's work calls for a complete reading and as such is much more than a go-to fact book for a single artist. Recommended for a wide range of libraries.' * Library Journal *
[Havranek's] essays are generally well done. As with other volumes in this series, these biographical essays would be a good starting point for students looking at career achievements. [] This volume will be useful for libraries with strong collections on popular culture. Summing Up: Recommended. * Choice *
Havranek's 2-volume set is written for both high school students and undergraduates, along with the curious fan or general reader. This work would make a good addition to any public, school, or academic library with a paucity of reference literature pertaining to popular female musicians. * ARBAonline *
With its attention on women artists, this set provides a useful complement to the publisher's previous titles, Icons of Hip Hop (Greenwood Press, 2007), Icons of Rock (Greenwood Press, 2007), and Icons of R&B and Soul (Greenwood Press, 2008). All provide detailed examinations of the creative careers of popular artists. As such, they will find an appreciative audience in high school, public and academic libraries. * Lawrence Looks at Books *

Author Bio

Carrie Havranek has written about music for The Village Voice, Salon, Paste and Performing Songwriter, and as a contributor to Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians Since 1990 (Schirmer, 2004). She received an M.A. from New York University and teaches writing at Lafayette College in Easton, PA.