Introduction

Music journalism found significance in the 1960s, following the Beatles’ mainstream success. One of the first popular music magazines was Melody Maker, a British magazine that began being published in 1926 and ran until 2000, finding success when it started focusing on Rock music in the 1960s. With the emergence of publications like New Musical Express (NME) and Rolling Stone, Pop music and cultural criticism became a serious pursuit of many journalists, helping to legitimize the genre as an art form.

The magazines in this collection represent music magazines and the cultural trends that influenced their coverage and publication. They provide access to information about instruments, lessons, interviews with musicians, and music criticism. The magazines featured reflect changing music and popular culture, spanning from the 1980s to 2000. During a period when most would be relying upon publications and television for music-related news, these magazines were crucial to shaping the culture and opinions of the public. Whether covering music education, specific genres, or cultural analysis, these magazines would have been an incredibly accessible source for people interested in music during the mid-to-late 20th century.

The magazines featured are from the Samir Husni Collection, and are just a few selections out of 30,000 magazines published from 1805 to 2022. Dr. Samir Husni donated this collection to the University of Missouri Special Collections in 2023.