Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography on Music Culture in the Bahamas

by Laura Shinn

“Background: The Bahamas.” Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 2010. Vol. 1. Sept. 2008: 150-153. This article looks at the economic challenges in the Bahamas including government debt, privatization, and employment demands. It also briefly covers the population, governmental, and geographic profiles of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. This article was found within a stack of librarian recommended books for this class.

Bahamas Gateway. 2000. McDaniel College Library. 16 Sept. 2009 <http://www.bahamasgateway.com/bahamas_art_dance_and_music.htm>  This is an internet source rich in Bahamian music culture and history mixed with current musical interests.  Briefly looks at the different musical styles heard within the Bahamas including rake n’scrape, Junkanoo, and popular music spots.

Baha Men. Who Let The Dogs Out. Artemis Records. 2000.  An example of a popular album, including the hit song “Who Let The Dog’s Out” with traditional Bahamian music backgrounds.  A true Bahamian band that spread to the United States and further.

Boultbee, Paul G. World Bibliographical Series: The Bahamas. Vol. 108. Oxford: Clio Press Ltd., 1989.  This is a book with a brief introduction into the country and people  with a collection of bibliographies on everything from geography  to Bahamian literature.  This is an important source for its introductory pages as well as the bibliographies cited on Junkanoo and music.

Crowley, Daniel J. “Toward A Definition of Calypso, Part 2″. Ethnomusicology. Vol. 3, no. 3. University Press.  This article reviews the rise of Calypso in the Caribbean and the Bahamas’ part in it. It further discusses the distortion of the Calypso art form by modernization and commercialization.

Ember, Melvin, and Carol R. Ember, eds. “Bahama Islands.” Countries and their Cultures. Vol. 1. 153-159., 2001.  This article contains information on national identity, economy, social stratification, and religion. All these topics are important pieces for an accurate telling of Bahamian culture.

Kenny Loggins. Keep The Fire. Sony BMG Music Entertainment. 1980.  A popular music source from the 1980s which includes a song entitle “Junkanoo Holiday.”  This album gives further insight into how Junkanoo has inspired other music.

Lightbourn, Kent. Tools for Survival: A Review of Bahamian Culture. Diss. Western Maryland College, 1995.  This article is a thesis paper that delves into the overlooked points of  the Bahamian culture, including slavery and the lower class.  It also contains many musical references and discusses the impact of Junkanoo and music and dance.  The author believes that music and performing arts are “indicative of responses to culture.”

Marshall, Wayne. “Dub Island.” FADER Apr. 2008, Issue 53: 142. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. McDaniel College. 16 Sept. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com/ehostdetail?vid=3&hid=104&sid=e5a01a>.  This article looks at how Compass Point Studios produced a distinctive music which highlighted African pop, reggae, hip-hop in the 1980′s.  This music, which was intended for the club scenes and dancing, traveled across the oceans to New York and Britain for an international impact.

Music of the Bahamas. 2004. VanderCook College of Music. 16 Sept. 2009 <http://www.bahamasentertainers.com/Paper/jnkno.html>. The Musicians and Entertainers of The Bahamas website is filled with information on the popular and indigenous music forms of The Bahama Islands including rake n’ scrape, slave music, church and gospel music, Junkanoo music, and Goombay drum music to name a few. The website also linked to Bahamian artists and features songs to get an accurate feel for the music. It briefly discusses the history of the Islands and the history of music there.

Porter, Darwin, and Danforth Prince. Frommer’s Bahamas. 2010 ed. New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2009.  This is a travel resource guide with the purpose of enticing tourists to visit the Bahamian islands.  Within the pages of this book, it discusses attractions in the capital and give insight into the other non-major islands of the Bahamas. Tourist facts on the Junkanoo festivals and cuisine are also included.  The reason this book is important as a source is because tourist guides such as this one must contain historical and cultural facts about its destination.

Rommen, Timothy. “Home Sweet Home: Junkanoo as National Discourse in the Bahamas.” Black Music Research Journal. 19.1 (1999): 71. Academic OneFile. EBSCO. McDaniel College. 21 Sept. 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/printdoc.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&docType=IAC&is>  This article talks about musical influence and the meanings behind the music as they relate to the people and the Bahamas.  It also talks about another side of the Junkanoo festival as not being solely Bahamian despite the music and dance being widey known as Bahamian.

Williams, Colleen Madonna Flood. The Bahamas. Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2004.  This book covers a little bit of everything, but has strong points on the very beginnings of the Bahamas and goes back to when they were not independent  up until now.  It looks at how the past has effected the economy and the types of people living there.  The types of people living there produce music and a lot of the music describes and explains their living conditions…its all stories.