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Top of the pile
76
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
55/100Critics
96/100Scholars
Author:
Danyel Smith
Publisher:
Roc Lit 101
Date:
April 19, 2022
A weave of memoir, criticism, and biography that tells the story of black women in music, from the Dixie Cups to Gladys Knight to Janet, Whitney, and Mariah, as the foundational story of American pop.
What The Reviewers Say
Smith deftly weaves her love for the tunes generated by the pioneering African American women in pop music over the last six decades with her personal story of perseverance.
... radiates brilliance.
Smith interweaves heartfelt stories of her own life as she provides evidence of the continual erasure of Black women’s contributions to the evolving music industry, even as they upended all cultural norms and created unprecedented sounds.
... [a] masterful examination of the Black women artists who’ve indelibly shaped American popular music.
