This December, Allison McCracken, an associate professor of American Studies, received the 2017 Philip Brett Award from the American Musicological Society for her book, "Real Men Don′t Sing: Crooning in American Culture." The organization recognized McCracken for her intersectional examination of the rise and fall of famous "crooners" of the 1920s and 30s, such as Rudy Vallée and Bing Crosby.
Founded as a nonprofit in 1934, the American Musicological Society aims to advance research in the various fields of music as a branch of learning and scholarship. The Philip Brett Award, sponsored by the LGBTQ Study Group of the American Musicological Society, honors exceptional musicological work in the field of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender studies completed during the previous two academic years.