Around the world and across time, singers and their songs stand at the crossroads of differing politics and perspectives. Levi S. Gibbs edits a collection built around the idea of listening as a political act that produces meaning. Contributors explore a wide range of issues by examining artists like Romani icon Esma Redžepova, Indian legend Lata Mangeshkar, and pop superstar Teresa Teng. Topics include gendered performances and the negotiation of race and class identities; the class-related contradictions exposed by the divide between highbrow and pop culture; links between narratives of overcoming struggle and the distinction between privileged and marginalized identities; singers’ ability to adapt to shifting notions of history, borders, gender, and memory in order to connect with listeners; how the meanings we read into a singer’s life and art build on one another; and technology’s ability to challenge our ideas about what constitutes music.

Cutting-edge and original, Social Voices reveals how singers and their songs equip us to process social change and divergent opinions.

Contributors: Christina D. Abreu, Michael K. Bourdaghs, Kwame Dawes, Nancy Guy, Ruth Hellier, John Lie, Treva B. Lindsey, Eric Lott, Katherine Meizel, Carol A. Muller, Natalie Sarrazin, Anthony Seeger, Carol Silverman, Andrew Simon, Jeff Todd Titon, and Elijah Wald

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Cultural Politics of Singers Levi S. Gibbs

Part I. The Politics of Authenticity and Iconicity

Introduction  Jeff Todd Titon

1. Becoming a “Folk” Icon: Pete Seeger and Musical Activism  Anthony Seeger

2. An Ordinary Icon: Cassettes, Counternarratives, and Shaykh Imam Andrew Simon

3. Idolatry and Iconoclasm in K-Pop Fandom John Lie

Part II. Race, Gender, Ethnicity, and Class

Introduction  Eric Lott

4. All On They Mouth Like Liquor  Treva B. Lindsey

5. Compromise and Competition: The Musical Identities of Afro-Cuban Women SingersChristina D. Abreu

6. Challenging the Divide Between Elite and Mass Cultures: Opera Icon Beverly Sills  Nancy Guy

Part III. Multiplicities of Representations

Introduction  Ruth Hellier

7. Artful Politics of the Voice: “Queen of Romani Music” Esma Redžepova Carol Silverman

8. Teresa Teng: Embodying Asia’s Cold WarsMichael K. Bourdaghs

9. Women, Political Voice, and the South African Diaspora, 1959-2020 Carol A. Muller

Part IV. Singers and Songs as Interweaving Narratives

Introduction  Kwame Dawes

10. The Vocal Narratives of Lata Mangeshkar: Gender, Politics, and Nation in India  Natalie Sarrazin

11. Ya Toyour: One Song in Two Voices  Katherine Meizel

 

Afterword: The Power of Song   Elijah Wald

Contributors

Index