Ike Turner's Rocket 88, first rock'n'roll song, turns 60 but remains obscure in music history

Sixty years later, many historians consider [Rocket 88 by Ike Turner] the first-ever rock 'n' roll song, and musicians revere the tune, as well as the band's livewire performance, wrote The Canadian Press May 22: And yet, most regular people don't know that the track even exists. "If I went to my local grocery store […]

Music professor on how Justin Bieber leveraged digital media to became a global sensation

Keeping up that intense feeling of personal connection via the Internet is incredibly important in marketing to the Justin Bieber demographic, says Rob Bowman, who teaches popular music in York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, wrote The Globe and Mail May 29: “You’re appealing to a certain adolescent group who’ve got fairly innocent notions of […]

York music professors spread the word about their research

The research and creative work of York music professors spans a wide range of genres and media formats. Disseminated through recordings, print publications and live performances, it’s reaching growing audiences at home and around the world. Composer and choral conductor Professor Stephanie Martin (left), who serves as music director of Toronto’s historic Church of St. […]