註釋 The American popular song has undergone as many changes and developments as America herself. Here David Ewen explores the whole history and evolution of American popular music from 1746 to the present day. Through the biographies, personal portraits, and critical evaluations of thirty of its leading creators, the reader is given a perspective on how the American popular song developed over the years and gains an insight into the birth and evolution of the media (theater, radio, television, movies, etc.) in which these songs came into being. Within the biographies, such basic styles as the national ballad, the war song, ragtime songs, the blues, show tunes, movie tunes, and the songs of protest are described, while more than passing notice is given to the changing song lyric and the men who brought about this change. The result is a crisply-written, exceedingly knowledgeable work of encyclopedic scope and range that discusses and explains the currents and crosscurrents in the evolution of American popular music. -- From publisher's description. 