Music & The Civil Rights Movement: Books and Scores (Sheet Music)

Every revolution has its music, but the Civil Rights Movement was special in being the first to benefit from sound recording and broadcasting. This meant that people on the fringes of the movement, non-participants, and even the antagonists could learn and sing the same songs that the active participants sang.  Television showed marches, rallies, and sit-ins, and the songs that went with them. This gave music a special role in spreading the message and sentiment of the movement.

A few authors have written about this connection, either within the context of African-American music, or the context of protest music.  Check out some of these titles to learn more about the central role of music in conveying emotion and meaning:

A Change is Gonna Come: Music, Race & The Soul of America, by Craig Werner ML 3479 .W47 2006
Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations by Brian Ward ML 3479 .W37 1998
Cultural Codes: Makings of a Black Music Philosophy by William C. Banfield ML 3479 .B364 2010
Rhythm and Resistance: The Political Uses of American Popular Music by Ray Pratt ML 3470 .P7 1994
Lift Every Voice!  The Second People's Songbook M 1977 .C5 L54
Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Its Songs ML 1977 .C47 S56 1990