GLS 592: Cultural Studies in Music: The Legacy of Legends
Instructor: Mika Elovaara
As the title of this course suggests, this course is a study of the legends of popular music and their potential influence on other artists and music culture in general. The primary focus of the course will be on the lives and works of popular music personalities who have passed away, and their legacy to individual artists and contemporary culture. The list of candidates for study includes Woody Guthrie, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, James Brown, Ray Charles, Kurt Cobain, Tupac Shakur, and Elvis Presley.
With each individual artist, we will first study his/her autobiography , memoir, or an authoritative biography, looking more closely into the personal life and career of the artist in question and investigating the possible connections between the artists’ life experiences and their career development. Alongside studying the lives of the artists, we will focus on their music and particularly the lyrics – studying their themes and messages and the possible influences they have had on the work of other musicians as well as on society as a whole.
The class structure is based on in-class discussions of assigned readings and relevant in-class and homework assignments. The major course assignments include studying the titles on the final reading list and some of the lyrics of the selected artists, preparing a presentation, writing a mid-term essay and a final essay on appropriate topics.
Assessment Criteria
Presentation 20%
In-class participation 20 %
Mid-term paper 30 %
Final paper 30 %
Tentative Reading list:
- Brown, James. The Godfather of Soul – an Autobiography
- Cash, Johnny with Patrick Carr. Johnny Cash – the Autobiography
- Cross, Charles R. Room Full of Mirrors – A Biography of Jimi Hendrix
- D’Ambrosio, Antonino. Let Fury Have the Hour – the Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer
- Friedman, Myra. Buried Alive – Janis Joplin, the Biography
- Kane, Larry. Lennon Revealed
- Klein, Joe. Woody Guthrie: A Life
- White, Timothy. Catch A Fire – The Life of Bob Marley (The definitive edition – revised and updated
The following titles are also recommended by the instructor, and may also be included in the final reading list:
- Bastfield, Darrin Keith. Back in the Day – My life and times with Tupac Shakur
- Charles, Ray & David Ritz. Brother Ray – Ray Charles’ Own Story
- Cross, Charles R. Heavier than Heaven – A Biography of Kurt Cobain
- Hopkins, Jerry. Elvis: The Biography
Last Update: October 17, 2008
