Despite his importance and influence, jazz musician, educator, and community leader Horace Tapscott remains relatively unknown to most Americans. In Songs of the Unsung Tapscott shares his life story, recalling his childhood in Houston, moving with his family to Los Angeles in 1943, learning music, and his early professional career. He describes forming the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in 1961 and later the Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension to preserve African American music and serve the community. Tapscott also recounts his interactions with the Black Panthers and law enforcement, the Watts riots, his work in Hollywood movie studios, and stories about his famous musician-activist friends. Songs of the Unsung is the captivating story of one of America’s most unassuming heroes as well as the story of L.A.'s cultural and political evolution over the last half of the twentieth century.

An introduction to contemporary literature in Malawi, comprising short stories, poetry, and some opening essays on literary genres. The anthology contains pieces from some fifty writers, amongst whom are Immanuel Bofomo; Steve Chimombo; Andrew Tilimbike Kulemeka; Ken Lipenga; Levi Zeleza Manda - author of the title story; Jack Mapanje; Francis Moto; Lupenga Mphande; Edson Mpina - President of Malawi Pen and Malawi Writers Union; Felix Mnthali; Anthony Nazombe; Norah Ngoma; and David Rubadiri. The editors have been or are all engaged in various literary and research activities at the University of Malawi.

Examines the contributions of women instrumentalists, composers, teachers, and conductors to American music, and suggests why they have gone unnoticed in the past.

Samuella Conteh's THE UNSUNG SONG is a collection of poems with a rallying call for global peace; a hymnal of religious tolerance and a praise-song celebrating the joys of motherhood; an anthem to patriotism and a jingle for social justice; particularly, the roles and rights of women and youths. It is rather ironic to think of these sonnets, elegies and lyrics as 'Unsung Songs' when most of them have already been prize winning poems that have featured in online publications and magazines in and out of Africa. Is it not equally strange to think of Samuella Conteh herself as an 'Unsung' poet, when she is serving as an ambassador of poetry, adding many accolades to her growing trophies on her mental piece? True to the nature of this poet, humility is a recurrent theme throughout this orchestra of peace that calms our turbulent world, while serenading the hearts and minds of all readers as they join the poet in her soulful requiem evoking the 'unsung songs' of humanity. By Njanguma S. Momodu

A Los Angeles jazz musician and activist, Tapscott believed in the power of music to connect people. His story covers LA's political and cultural evolution over the last half of the 20th century, and brings alive the stories of fellow avant garde musicians. Photos.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A celebration of American history through the music that helped to shape a nation, by Pulitzer Prize winner Jon Meacham and music superstar Tim McGraw “Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw form an irresistible duo—connecting us to music as an unsung force in our nation's history.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin Through all the years of strife and triumph, America has been shaped not just by our elected leaders and our formal politics but also by our music—by the lyrics, performers, and instrumentals that have helped to carry us through the dark days and to celebrate the bright ones. From “The Star-Spangled Banner” to “Born in the U.S.A.,” Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw take readers on a moving and insightful journey through eras in American history and the songs and performers that inspired us. Meacham chronicles our history, exploring the stories behind the songs, and Tim McGraw reflects on them as an artist and performer. Their perspectives combine to create a unique view of the role music has played in uniting and shaping a nation. Beginning with the battle hymns of the revolution, and taking us through songs from the defining events of the Civil War, the fight for women’s suffrage, the two world wars, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and into the twenty-first century, Meacham and McGraw explore the songs that defined generations, and the cultural and political climates that produced them. Readers will discover the power of music in the lives of figures such as Harriet Tubman, Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King, Jr., and will learn more about some of our most beloved musicians and performers, including Marian Anderson, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Duke Ellington, Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, and more. Songs of America explores both famous songs and lesser-known ones, expanding our understanding of the scope of American music and lending deeper meaning to the historical context of such songs as “My Country, ’Tis of Thee,” “God Bless America,” “Over There,” “We Shall Overcome,” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” As Quincy Jones says, Meacham and McGraw have “convened a concert in Songs of America,” one that reminds us of who we are, where we’ve been, and what we, at our best, can be.