History & Culture
Queer Artists Who Shaped Music History by Bryan Parys
This article provides a historical overview of LGBTQ+ musicians, highlighting their contributions to music. This article's scope sheds insight into musical trends that have carried over through generations, being ideal for researchers seeking a concise and informative introduction to LGBTQ+ musicians. One unique feature this article provides is that it has a link to a curated Spotify playlist with each artist for viewers to listen along with. However, one drawback is that it is limited in terms of covering the totality of LGBTQ+ musicians.
Music’s Unsung LGBTQ Heroes by Jerry Portwood, Jon Freeman,
Brittany Spanos, Suzy Exposito, Stacy Lambe, Zoe Camp, Marcus Borton, Eric Shorey
This article highlights LGBTQ+ musicians who are often overlooked due to societal pressures or lack of coverage. It provides a diverse range of musicians from various genres and periods, offering valuable historical context for researchers. The inclusion of short biographies, photos, and videos helps readers form a connection with the artists and their stories. However, as a news article, it does not delve deeply into each artist’s life, needing further research to be done on each musician to understand the full scope of their experience as an LGBTQ+ musician.
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Popular Music and the Politics of Hope
by
ISBN: 9781138055896Publication Date: 2019This book offers a unique collection of LGBTQ+ artists and other underrepresented voices in popular music, covering a broad scope of different artists and examining the cultural forces that shape their journeys. It delves into exploring how societal norms influence these artists' performances, careers, and identities within the music industry, while also considering the reciprocal impact these artists have on culture itself. Published in 2019, this contemporary work provides relevant insights into today's music landscape. Although we have access to a physical copy here at the University at Albany, availability beyond the university is limited, which may restrict broader access.
Gay and Lesbian Music by Philip Brett, and Elizabeth Wood
This article provides a detailed understanding of the historical, social, cultural, and political environment that surrounded LGBTQ+ movements in the early 1970s, while also shedding light on how it impacted LGBTQ+ musicians. Divided into seven parts, it explores the challenges LGBTQ+ musicians faced while creating music during these times, their contributions to music as a whole, and societal responses to their work. It delves into discussing the creation of music, performance of music, reception by society, and commentary on LGBTQ+ musicians. This article renders useful to anyone studying this topic, as it serves as a deep analysis to gain an understanding of what drove musicians during this time, and what constraints they may have faced. One thing to consider is the publication date of 2001, this factor might make some of the terms used seem outdated to a modern reader.