This book traces vocal group music from Minstrelsy in the mid-19th century to the dawn of rock and roll in the early 1950s. It explores the history of vocal group music, including how the music changed and what factors influenced those changes. There is information on more than 1,500 vocal groups, a discography of over 15,000 recordings, 150-plus photographs, and other visuals, as well as sections on technology, sheet music and postcards.