Deep Dive | America 250
American Music
March 2026
Eager to learn more about U.S. History and the America 250 celebration? Carefully curated by local historians and academics, these modules (one for each month of the America 250 celebration) will offer a deep dive into various periods of U.S. History. These recommendations are offered as a free and optional resource with a corresponding list of books, podcast episodes, documentaries, and more that explore themes and specific timeframes within the history of our nation.
Please note: These resources are offered as an optional learning opportunity and are not a required part of any America 250 programs. All reading and viewing materials are optional and meant to enrich your personal learning experience. Some topics may be thought-provoking or sensitive, but all have been curated with care and respect. We invite you to engage with what interests you and explore at your own pace as we commemorate our nation's past.
These Deep Dives continue in the month of November with a look at the history of music and its importance in the United States of America.
Thank you for joining us!

GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS
- Century of Song: 101 Songs that Shaped American Music - Noah Lefevre
- America's Musical Life: A History - Richard Crawford
- Feel Like Going Home - Peter Guralnick
- Lost Highway- Peter Guralnick
- Sweet Soul Music- Peter Guralnick
- Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation - Jon Meacham & Tim McGraw
DEEP DIVE
- Country Music: An Illustrated History - Dayton Duncan
- The Land Where the Blues Began - Alan Lomax
- Jazz: A History of America's Music - Geoffrey C. Ward
- A History of the American Musical Theatre 2nd Edition - Nathan Hurwitz
- History of Rock & Roll Volumes 1&2 - Ed Ward
- A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music - Robert M. Marovich
- Life Flows On in Endless Song: Folk Songs and American History - Robert V. Wells
- Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers - Craig Morrison
- Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion - Robert Gordon
- Hip-Hop Is History - Questlove
KIDS & YOUNG ADULTS
- Have You Thanked A Musician Today?: Celebrating the Innovators Who Shaped Music History - Patrice McLaurin
- Trombone Shorty: A Picture Book Biography - Troy Andrews
- Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra - Andrea Pinkney
- The Music in George's Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue - Suzanne Slade
- When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson - Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln - Margarita Engle
- Songs of America: Young Reader's Edition: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation - Jon Meacham &Tim McGraw
- What Is Rock and Roll? - Jim O’Connor
- This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie
LITERATURE & HISTORICAL FICTION
- American Musicals: The Complete Books and Lyrics of Eight Broadway Classics 1950 -1969 - Lawrence Masion
- Reservation Blues - Sherman Alexie
- Daisy Jones & The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
- A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev: A Novel - Dawnie Walton
- The Farewell Tour - Stephanie Clifford
- Billie Holiday: The Graphic Novel - Ebony Gilbert & David Calcano

- Dreamgirls (2006) PG-13
- Elvis (2022) PG-13
- Walk the Line (2005) PG-13
- Selena (1997) PG
- What’s Love Got to Do With It? (1993) R
- Get on Up (2014) PG-13
- Blackboard Jungle (1955) NR
- Cadillac Records (2008) R
- The Blues Brothers (1980) R
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001) PG-13
- Daisy Jones and the Six (2023) 18+
- The Temptations (1998) TV-PG
- Funny Girl (1968) G
- Straight Outta Compton (2015) R
- Born to Be Blue (2016) 18+
- Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) PG
- La Bamba(1987) PG-13
- Ray (2004) PG-13
- Sweet Dreams (1985) PG-13
- 8 Mile (2002) R
- A Complete Unknown(2024) R
- The Buddy Holly Story(1978) PG
- Bird (1988) R
- Till the Clouds Roll By (1947) NR
- The Glenn Miller Story (1954) NR
- Bound For Glory (1976) PG
- Lady Sings the Blues (1972) R
- A Mighty Wind (2003) PG-13
- Jamboree (1957) NR

- Country Music - Ken Burns (2019) TV-13
- Jazz - Ken Burns (2001) -TV-13
- American Epic (2017) NR
- Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. (2024) TV-MA
- The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story (2009) PG
- Muscle Shoals (2013) PG
- ReMastered (Netflix Series)
- Born in Chicago (2023) 7+
- Gospel (2024) TV-PG
- Woody Guthrie - All-Star Tribute Concert 1970
- Broadway Rising (2022) 13+
- Summer of Soul (2021) PG-13
- The Searcher (2018) 13+
- Laurel Canyon (2020) 18+
- Woodstock: Three Days that Defined a Generation (2019) 13+


- American Epic: The Collection
- The Best of Ken Burns’ Jazz
- Country Music
- Let Freedom Sing! Music of the Civil Rights Movement
- Sun Records
- Motown: The Complete No. 1’s
- Blues Classics
- American Folk Anthology
- Stax 50th
- Big Band Masterpieces
These Primary Sources are not documents, but the actual recordings themselves
