Music on Martha's Vineyard:

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.

Thomas Dresser lives in Oak Bluffs and has worked with the African American Heritage Trail group for several years, giving tours to sites on the trail. Dresser has written pieces published in the Martha's Vineyard Times, Vineyard Gazette, Martha's Vineyard Magazine, Vineyard Style and Cape Cod Life. He is also a member of the Martha's Vineyard Museum. This is Tom's seventh book with The History Press. Visit tomdresser.com for more information. Jerold Muskin is a former cornetist for the Vineyard Haven Band and is currently a board member of the Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society. He has written a collection of poems, numerous professional articles and national and international conference initiatives.