How Sweet the Sound: The Official Playlist
Featuring artists ranging from Miles Davis to Kendrick Lamar, Kwame Alexander and Charly Palmer’s How Sweet the Sound celebrates the rich history of Black music in America. Spanning gospel, jazz, blues, hymns, R&B, hip-hop, rap, rock, and more, this stunningly illustrated book showcases the sound of survival, courage, and democracy—the soundtrack of America. This playlist features a sample of the 80+ artists, songs, and genres represented in this book. For more information, be sure to check out the extensive back matter at the end of the book. Now, listen along to the heartbeat of America as you read How Sweet the Sound.
Full Track List:
“Soon and Very Soon” – Andrae Crouch
“Down by the Riverside” – Sister Rosetta Tharpe
“Balm in Gilead” – Nina Simone
“Amazing Grace” – Aretha Franklin
“Blessed Assurance” – The Fisk Jubilee Singers
“Memphis Blues” – W.C. Handy
“Cross Road Blues” – Robert Johnson
“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” – Bessie Smith
“Born Under a Bad Sign” – Albert King
“The Entertainer” – Scott Joplin
“Strange Fruit” – Billie Holiday
“Summertime” – Charlie Parker
“All the Things You Are” – Dizzy Gillespie
“‘Round Midnight” – Thelonious Monk
“Blue in Green” – Miles Davis
“They Can’t Take That Away from Me” – Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong
“Spontaneous Combustion” – The Cannonball Adderley Quintet
“My Favorite Things” – John Coltrane
“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” – Duke Ellington
“Wee Wee Hours” – Chuck Berry
“The Twist” – Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
“The Twist” – Chubby Checker
“Tutti Frutti” – Litle Richard
“Star Spangled Banner” – Jimi Hendrix
“What’s Love Got to Do with It” – Tina Turner
“Let’s Go Crazy” – Prince
“Quiet Storm” – Smokey Robinson
“Street Life” – The Crusaders
“Happy Feelin’s” – Maze, Frankie Beverly
“Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” – Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
“Between the Sheets” – The Isley Brothers
“Say My Name” – Destiny’s Child
“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” – Marvin Gaye
“A Change Is Gonna Come” – Sam Cooke
“Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” – James Brown
“I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” – Whitney Houston
“On & On” – Erykah Badu
“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” – Michael Jackson
“The Message” – Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
“The Crossroads” – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
“In Da Club” – 50 Cent
“Good Times” – CHIC
“Children’s Story” – Slick Rick
“Ready or Not” – Fugees, Ms. Lauryn Hill
“Hard Knock Life” – JAY-Z
“Her” – Megan Thee Stallion
“N95” – Kendrick Lamar
“Fight the Power” – Public Enemy
Featuring artists ranging from Miles Davis to Kendrick Lamar, dive into this stunningly illustrated celebration of the history of Black music in America by the award-winning author of The Undefeated.
Listen to the sound of survival, courage, and democracy—the soundtrack of America. Hear Billie Holiday’s raspy, mournful voice, and tap your foot to Louis Armstrong’s trumpet. Scream with James Brown and bop your head to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Can you spot the 80+ references to artists like Robert Johnson, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, and Beyonce?
Come dance to Kwame Alexander’s melodious narrative of the history of Black music in America, accompanied by the vibrant illustrations of Charly Palmer.
The book includes extensive back matter, providing even more context and history about the music and musicians.
