Abjorensen—historian, broadcaster/journalist, coauthor of Historical Dictionary of Australia—offers some 1,300 entries defining musical acts/creators, genres, countries/continents, terminology, and publications covering nearly 200 years of popular music around the world and emphasizing Great Britain and the US.... Entries on many major artists (Chet Atkins, Dick Dale, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie, for instance) helpfully reveal historical significance. A chronology, notable songs, and an extensive bibliography are included. A variety of comparable biographical tools are already available, including AllMusic.... [T]he work provides some helpful historical analysis...

Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels.

Choice Reviews

Historical Dictionary of Popular Music is a reference work for the college and academic/research library, for a public reference collection, and for the keen and well-heeled enthusiast (especially if such an “expert” gives talks and lectures). The compiler’s own introduction tells how as a child he heard Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole, grew up to love Buddy Holly, discovered Dave Brubeck, saw Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen perform on stage, and “in late middle age” listens as much to Bob Dylan as Celtic punk – a sentimental journey of his own which he generously and profitably shares with his readers.

Reference Reviews