Martha's Vineyard has a rich musical legacy that stretches back to the
earliest drumbeats of the Wampanoags and the whaling chanteys of the
nineteenth century. Returning Civil War veterans formed the island's
oldest continuous music ensemble, the Vineyard Haven Band. Vineyarders
embrace all things musical, from choral and string ensembles to singers
and songwriters. Discover this melodious history from the early
twentieth-century dance bands at the Tivoli ballroom, through the war
years, the piano bars and the nascent folk music scene at the Mooncusser
Cafe, where Carly Simon and James Taylor played their first licks.
Authors Thomas Dresser and Jerry Muskin explore the homegrown music
scene and the summer stars who keep islanders and visitors moving to the
beat.