Drawn from NPR Music’s acclaimed, groundbreaking series Turning the Tables, the definitive book on the vital role of Women in Music—from Beyoncé to Odetta, Taylor Swift to Joan Baez, Joan Jett to Dolly Parton—featuring archival interviews, essays, photographs, and illustrations.

Turning the Tables, launched in 2017, has revolutionized recognition of female artists, whether it be in best album lists or in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music brings this impressive reshaping to the page and includes material from more than fifty years of NPR’s coverage plus newly commissioned work. A must-have for music fans, songwriters, feminist historians, and those interested in how artists think and work, including: 

•          Joan Baez talking about nonviolence as a musical principle in 1971

•  Dolly Parton’s favorite song and the story behind it 

•  Patti Smith describing art as her “jealous mistress” in 1974

•          Nina Simone, in 2001, explaining how she developed the edge in her voice as a tool against racism.

•          Taylor Swift talking about when she had no idea if her musical career might work

•          Odetta on how shifting from classical music to folk allowed her to express her fury over Jim Crow

 This incomparable hardcover volume is a vital record of history destined to become a classic and a great gift for any music fan or creative thinker.

Introduction by: Ann Powers