The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music is a comprehensive reference work covering popular music from the early 20th century to the present day. First published in 1992, it has grown to encompass multiple editions and volumes documenting thousands of artists, albums, and musical developments. The encyclopedia contains detailed entries on musicians, bands, producers, record labels, genres, and key industry figures across jazz, rock, pop, R&B, hip hop, country, folk and related styles. Each entry provides biographical information, career highlights, discographies, and critical analysis of major works and cultural impact. Editor Colin Larkin assembled a team of over 200 expert contributors to research and write the encyclopedia's content. The most recent edition spans 10 volumes with approximately 27,000 entries, making it one of the largest music reference works ever produced. The work stands as both a historical document of popular music's evolution and a critical examination of how commercial music has shaped modern culture and society. Its scope and depth of coverage provide insight into changing musical trends and their relationship to broader social movements.

Readers describe The Encyclopedia of Popular Music as a comprehensive reference work covering rock, jazz, blues, and pop from 1900 onward. Music fans value the book's depth of research and Larkin's engaging writing style. Likes: - Detailed biographical information about musicians - Coverage of obscure artists alongside major acts - Includes reviews of key albums - Clear, readable entries - Regular updates in new editions Dislikes: - High price point - Some readers note inconsistent coverage of non-Western music - Later editions removed some earlier entries - Paper quality declined in recent editions Ratings: Amazon: 4.2/5 (31 reviews) Goodreads: 4.4/5 (12 reviews) One reviewer called it "the most thorough music reference book available" while another praised its "authoritative yet accessible tone." Several readers noted using it regularly as a trusted reference for decades. The main criticism centered on the high cost, with one reader saying "excellent resource but prohibitively expensive for casual readers."

All Music Guide to Rock by Michael Erlewine A comprehensive reference work covering rock music from the 1950s to present, with detailed entries on artists, albums, and genres.

The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll by Holly George-Warren, Patricia Romanowski The reference contains profiles of 2,200 artists and bands from rock music history, with career milestones, discographies, and cultural impact.

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn A chronological listing of every song that reached Billboard's Hot 100 chart from 1955 to present, including chart positions and record data.

The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Peter Buckley The reference work covers 50,000 entries spanning multiple genres of popular music, including biographies, discographies, and music industry information.

The Rough Guide to Rock by Peter Buckley A reference guide featuring 1,200 artists across rock music history, with biographical information, key albums, and musical connections between acts.

🎵 Colin Larkin spent 12 years writing the first edition of the encyclopedia, reviewing approximately 50,000 albums and listening to music for up to 14 hours per day 📚 The 2006 edition contains over 27,000 entries and 6 million words across 10 volumes, making it one of the largest music reference works ever published 🎸 The encyclopedia's content was also developed into a digital database called the Encyclopedia of Popular Music Online, containing over 50,000 biographies and 100,000 album reviews ✍️ Larkin and his team personally wrote 95% of the encyclopedia's content rather than relying on existing sources, setting a new standard for music reference works 🏆 The work is considered the standard reference for popular music by institutions like the BBC and major libraries worldwide, and has won multiple awards including the "Outstanding Reference Source" from the American Library Association