• v. 1. Will Ackerman-John Denver
• v. 2. Paul Desmond-Joan Jett
• v. 3. Antônio Carlos Jobim-Charlie Parker
• v. 4. Gram Parsons-Igor Stravinsky
• v. 5. Billy Strayhorn-Hans Zimmer, Appendixes, Indexes.

Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain...these are the people who helped shape the history of music. Their stories and others are told in Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century. This five volume set offers biographical and critical essays on over 600 musicians in just about every genre imaginable, from Accordion Players to Musical Theater Composers to World Music, and everything in between.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)
Scope and coverage: Each individual is musically classified in one or more categories, including Arrangers (Burt Bacharach, Marvin Hamlisch), Bandleaders (Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller), Hip-Hop Musicians (LL Cool J, Tupac Shakur), Jazz Musicians (Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie), Rock Musicians (Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix), and World Musicians (Bobby McFerrin, Tito Puente). Organization and format: Every essay contains ready-reference top matter, followed by a brief paragraph explaining the individual's significance. 'The Life' is a biographical account of the musician. 'The Music' provides analytical commentary on the musician's work, and 'Musical Legacy' describes the musician's influence on styles and genres. Special features: Volume 5 contains a General Bibliography, a list of Electronic Resources, a Glossary, Chronological list of musicians by birth year, and four indexes. At a glance: This title contains 5 Volumes; 1,800 Pages; 608 Essays (614 musicians); Pronunciation Guides; 'See Also' Cross-References; General Bibliography; Glossary; Chronological List of Musicians; Electronic Resources; Category Index; Geographical Index; Personages Index; Personages and Groups Index; and Works Index.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)