REVIEWS
Starred Review. “With depth and breadth, Mahon’s work centers the many African American women who heavily influence rock and roll, from LaVern Baker to Tina Turner. Rock and roll emerged neither from a vacuum nor from the minds of white, male performers alone. Mahon’s comprehensive research and intelligent thinking are captured in her compelling writing.” — Emily Dziuban, Booklist
"A rare gem. . . . this meticulously researched book is a key entry in the ongoing record-correction of 20th-century popular music history, one that recenters women, and most crucially, women of color. . . . The collective telling of their complex stories, within an intersectional feminist framework, is the kind of illuminating scholarship that rock really needs." — Jillian Mapes, Pitchfork
“A well-researched, sociologically savvy effort to expand the rock canon.” — Kirkus Reviews
“ If you are curious about music and its development across genres or would like more examples of Black women’s exquisite impact on every aspect of life, Black Diamond Queens is for you.” — Briana Spivey, Women’s Review of Books
"Black Diamond Queens does what the best music books do: It urges us to play this music again — or for the first time — and to listen to it. Mahon’s brilliant book repays careful reading and challenges us to think anew about the history of rock and roll and the ways we might have traditionally understood it." — Henry Carrigan, No Depression
"[H]ighly recommended for anyone who is interested in deepening their knowledge of the legacies and profoundness of Black women in music.' — Jordannah Elizabeth, Amsterdam News
"This monograph is not only a welcome addition to works on genre, gender, and race but contributes a unique insight into Black-middle-class respectability politics in twentieth-century America. Black Diamond Queens is a great jumping-off point for contemporary Black feminist theorists, musicologically trained or not. Mahon has gifted scholars with a mantle, leaving room for others to take it up and continue the work of re-storing music history through the investigation of race, gender, and genre." — Larissa A. Irizarry, Notes
"Mahon’s use of contemporaneous accounts, interviews, and illustrations contributes immensely to 'setting the record straight' regarding the impact, role, and significance of a group of historic figures often subverted by a male-dominated record industry and largely overlooked in the standard literature on the evolution of rock 'n' roll. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers." — D. V. Moskowitz, Choice
MEDIA
Rhyma Castillo August 11, 2022 “Black Women in Metal Are Screaming ‘We Belong,” Elite Daily online
Big Mama Thornton's Blues Hits June 30, 2022 'Elvis' reminds viewers of Big Mama Thornton's blues hits, including the original 'Hound Dog'.
Ashwanta Jackson April 18, 2022 “Recovering and Reclaiming Black Women's Place n Music History,” NPR Music.
“Tina Turner: Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” March 10, 2022 Maureen Mahon joined joined Nkeki Obi Melekwe, who stars as Tina in the Broadway musical, and Shattering Gleam host Sasha Geffen for a conversation about Tina's strategic navigation of gender and race in the music industry, embodying her on the Broadway stage and, of course, those dance moves.
Popcast, The New York Times February 23, 2022 “Remembering Betty Davis, a Futuristic Funk Force,” Maureen Mahon joined New York Times music critic and Popcast host Jon Caramanica, Jon Pareles, and Oliver Wang for a conversation about Betty Davis’s unique music and career, and the path that led to her rediscovery.
St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio January 13, 2022
Maureen Mahon joined St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske for a conversation about Tina Turner’s early years as a performer in East St. Louis.
Oxford American November 9, 2021
The Winter 2021 Oxford American Up South Music Issue features Maureen Mahon’s cover story on Tina Turner’s formative years in St. Louis, Missouri. The issue is available at select newsstands and can be ordered from the Oxford American online store.
NPR Music September 29, 2021
Maureen Mahon offers an appreciation of the great Sarah Dash (1945-2021). In Labelle and Beyond, Sarah Dash Could Never Fade into the Background
Shepherd.com September 2021
See Mahon’s list of recommendations of the best books on the unheralded African American women and popular music for the book discovery site Shepherd.com
Talk Music Talk August 5, 2021
Mahon was in conversation with boice-Terrel Allen, host of Talk Music Talk, about Tina Turner and Black Diamond Queens.
SiriusXM VOLUME Feedback June 15, 2021
Mahon joined SiriusXM VOLUME (Channel 106) Feedback hosts Nik Carter and Lori Majewski to discuss Black Diamond Queens.
New Books Network May 4, 2021
Mahon discussed Black Diamond Queens with New Books Network host Kristen Turner.
Text, Prose & RocknRoll March 24, 2021
Mahon spoke with Text, Prose & RocknRoll host Kris Kosach about Black Diamond Queens.
NBC 10 March 21, 2021
Mahon spoke with Stephanía Jiménez of Philadelphia’s NBC 10 about African American women and rock and roll.
Who Cares about the Rock Hall March 12, 2021
Mahon spoke with Joe Kwaczala and Kristen Studard, hosts of Who Cares about the Rock Hall, about why Tina Turner should be inducted into the Rock Hall as a solo artist.
Kidspost February 24, 2021
Journalist Haben Kelati interviewed Maureen Mahon for an article about Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog” for the KidsPost section of The Washington Post.
Rock and Roll Book Club February 18, 2021
'Black Diamond Queens: African American Women and Rock and Roll'
Uproxx February 16, 2021
Entertainment journalist Erica Campbell interviewed Maureen Mahon about the overlooked and unsung African American women who were pivotal to rock and roll for a piece she wrote for Uproxx.
NPR Music January 21, 2021
Maureen Mahon reflects on the importance of African American women’s vocal sound to 1960s rock and roll in “The Voices of Black Women Were Essential to Phil Spector's Wall of Sound”.
Left of Black November 26, 2020
See Maureen Mahon in conversation with Mark Anthony Neal on Left of Black.
NYU News November 22, 2020
The Black Women Behind Rock and Roll. An NYU music historian points to the influences of African American groups such as the Shirelles in songs by Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones.
New Orleans Wake Up November 18, 2020
Mahon spoke about Black Diamond Queens with Brother Warren, host of the New Orleans Wake Up internet radio program.
Popmatters October 30, 2020
Read an excerpt of Black Diamond Queens in Popmatters.
Nite Owls September 18, 2020
Mahon joins WFUV-FM’s Eric Gottlieb on his weekly podcast Nite Owls for a conversation about Black Diamond Queens.
Daily Kos June 26, 2020
Mahon was quoted by Carolyn Copeland, a reporter for Prism Reports/Daily Kos, in an article on African American protest anthems: As Americans rise up in defense of Black lives, Black protest anthems resonate more than ever.
WFUV-FM June 19, 2020
Mahon was one of the commentators who joined WFUV-FM host Alisa Ali for a Juneteenth special. [running time: 2 hours]
American Routes March 25, 2020
Mahon spoke with American Routes host Nick Spitzer about Bessie Smith in the radio documentary “Empress of the Blues: Bessie Smith”. [running time: 2 hours]
NPR August 5, 2019
NPR All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro interviews Mahon about Bessie Smith’s musical legacy.
NPR Music August 5, 2019
Mahon’s article “How Bessie Smith Influenced a Century of Popular Music” is part of NPR Music’s Turning the Table: 8 Women Who Invented American Popular Music series.
The Root June 7, 2019
Quoted in The Root coverage of Soundtrack of America.
Cassius April 8, 2019
Mahon quoted in Cassius coverage of Soundtrack of America.
TIDAL February 18, 2018
Maureen Mahon and Gayle Wald discuss “Race, Sex, and Rock & Roll,” the playlist of music representing African American influences on rock and roll that they created for TIDAL.