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John Covach
Director, Institute for Popular Music; Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department; Professor of Theory, Eastman School of Music
Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
Department of Music
Areas of expertise: History of Rock and Roll, Analysis of Popular Music, The Beatles, Music Theory
Press contact:
Valerie Alhart
valerie.alhart@rochester.edu
585.276.3256
Related Links:
www.johncovach.com
What's That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History
In the News
Radio Boston
Paying Tribute: Physical and Musical Marathon Memorials
May 03, 2013
Examiner.com
John Densmore to be interviewed at Rock Hall of Fame
April 11, 2013
Indianapolis Recorder
The not-so-slight return of Jimi Hendrix
March 05, 2013
WXII NBC 12
The not-so-slight return of Jimi Hendrix
March 04, 2013
CNN
The not-so-slight return of Jimi Hendrix
March 04, 2013
WROC TV CBS 8 Rochester
Inside the University of Rochester's Institute for Popular Music
February 11, 2013
WROC TV CBS 8 Rochester
Inside the University of Rochester's Institute for Popular Music
February 10, 2013
The Star
Muzak, long known for ‘elevator music’, turns off
February 06, 2013
Chronicle of Higher Education
Rocker/Academic Leads New Institute for Popular Music at U. of Rochester
January 28, 2013
Scientific American
Taking Pop Music Seriously
January 18, 2013
13WHAM-TV
U of R Starts Institute of Pop Music
December 18, 2012
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
University of Rochester creates Institute for Popular Music
December 17, 2012
News/Talk 760 WJR
The Mitch Albom Show
November 30, 2012
Marketplace.org
The anti-MOOC? Small costly online courses
November 16, 2012
Science Fair
Million Song Dataset Reveals Trends in Rock History
August 01, 2012
BBC News
Covach Talks about the Rolling Stones on BBC
July 11, 2012
MSNBC
One Direction singer Zayn Malik: Global pop star, and Muslim
June 18, 2012
Canada.com
Live Chat: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
May 30, 2012
CNN
Dick Clark knew his business
April 19, 2012
The Christian Science Monitor
Whitney Houston: a singing sensation silenced too soon
February 13, 2012
Christian Science Monitor
Amy Winehouse album: the pluses and pitfalls of a posthumous release
July 25, 2011
Philippine Star
Michael Jackson, my Captain EO
June 12, 2011
CNN International
'Legend': Remembering Bob Marley
May 12, 2011
Inside Bay Area
Do racy lyrics offend anymore?
February 24, 2011
Fairfield County Weekly
'A Day in the Life' is a Weird-Ass Song. So Why Does it Work?
January 26, 2011
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Why no Yes in the Rock Hall?
December 29, 2010
The Chicago Sun-Times
Rock music 101
December 16, 2010
13WHAM-TV
Is the CD Dead? Part I
November 23, 2010
FOXBusiness.com
For Apple, a 'Long and Winding Road' to Nab Beatles
November 18, 2010
Buffalo News
Good morning, Buffalo
November 11, 2010
Chicago Sun Times
Rock music 101
November 07, 2010
107.7 FM Buffalo The Lake
John Covach of Going for the One on the Lake
October 04, 2010
wtop.com
Musical cities: Nothing of note for D.C.
July 20, 2010
Forbes.com
America's Musical Cities
July 09, 2010
CNN.com
Has Lady Gaga gotten your attention yet?
June 24, 2010
CNN.com
The confusing legacy of Michael Jackson
June 22, 2010
Chicago Sun-Times
B+ bop-a-lula: Rock history courses in America
June 14, 2010
Bing Travel
Imagine a Beatles Vacation
March 29, 2010
Chicago Sun Times
Keeping Jimi's flame glowing
March 08, 2010
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Weekend Hotlist
February 11, 2010
13WHAM-TV
Michael Jackson Impact
November 02, 2009
RTIR Online
10/29/09 RTIR E-zine: Halloween, Scientology, Star Beauty Secrets
October 29, 2009
Rochester City Newspaper
STUDENT SURVIVAL 09: Meet your mentor
August 12, 2009
KMOX News Radio 1120
Carney Show : Carney's Michael Jackson Tribute - with John Covach and others
July 07, 2009
Yahoo! India
Music historian assesses Jacko as 'pivotal figure in US music history'
June 28, 2009
WROC TV CBS 8 Rochester
Jackson's Death Hits Rochester Hard
June 25, 2009
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Hall of Fame Will Honor Soundman
May 07, 2006
News Releases
University of Rochester Creates Institute for Popular Music
December 17, 2012
Rock, Pop Historian John Covach on the Death of Whitney Houston
February 13, 2012
Rock, Pop Historian John Covach Assesses Michael Jackson
June 25, 2009
Biography
John Covach (Professor of Music, University of Rochester and Eastman School of Music) is the director of the University's Institute for Popular Music and author of the leading textbook history of rock music, What's That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History (Second Edition, WW.Norton & Co., 2009).
He received his Bachelor of Music (1983), Master of Music (1985) and Ph.D. (1990) in music theory from the University of Michigan. He was also a Fulbright student in Vienna, Austria in 1987-88. The recipient of several teaching awards and citations, Professor Covach teaches theory and analysis as well as courses in popular music. Since 1993, he has taught large-lecture courses on rock at University of North Texas, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and University of Rochester and has lectured across North America and Europe. He is co-editor of Understanding Rock (Oxford 1997), American Rock and the Classical Music Tradition (Harwood 2000), and Institutions, Traditions, and American Popular Music (Harwood 2000). His extensive writings on twentieth-century music, popular music, and the philosophy of music have appeared in numerous books and journals. Professor Covach also maintains an active career as a performing and recording musician.