Encyclopedia of Musicians and Bands on Film

Melissa U. D. Goldsmith is a visiting lecturer in the department of music at Westfield State University. She has published articles on film music and popular music for The Journal of Film Music, The Journal of American Music, Choice, Notes, and Screening the Past.Paige A. Willson is assistant professor of costume design and technology at the University of Houston. As a costume designer and mask artisan, she has worked with many groups nationwide, such as the Alley Theatre, the Houston Shakespeare Festival, Karen Stokes Dance, and the Stephan Koplowitz Task Force.Anthony J. Fonseca is library director at Elms College. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Hooked on Horror, Hooked on Horror II, Hooked on Horror III: A Guide toReading Interests (2009), and Encyclopedia of the Zombie (2014).

This work by musicologist Goldsmith, costume designer Wilson, and librarian Fonseca is the first to focus on bands and musicians in more than 100 international feature films; it is not a guide to film musicals per se, and that distinction must be underscored. Readers discover films based on performers' lives (Shine, 1966) or backstage dealings (Roadie, 1980)…. The authors select full-length feature films that make bands or musicians the primary focus and are available to English-speaking audiences. Entries discuss at plots at length; list casts, crews, and performers; and detail the works performed, soundtracks, and albums…. [T]he work's ten appendixes list many additional films that fit the criteria or offer other access points to the entries. Although useful for its inclusion of lesser-known or forgotten films and thus recommended for comprehensive film and music collections, other resources must supplement this compilation to complete the picture.Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates through professionals; general readers.