America on record

by A. J. Millard

America on Record provides a history of sound recording, from the first thin sheet of tinfoil that was manipulated into retaining sound to the home recordings of rappers in the 1980s and the high-tech digital studios of the 1990s. This book examines the important technical developments of acoustic, electric, and digital sound reproduction - including the cylinder, 78-rpm disc, 45-rpm microgroove single, LP, and CD - while outlining the cultural impact of recorded music and movies. It describes jazz, blues, swing, rock, rap, and film dialogue against the business and technological background of sound recording.