Justin Brummer, PhD

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Justin A. Brummer, PhD is the founding editor and digital archivist of the Vietnam War Song Project (VWSP), a digital archive and an interpretative analysis of all songs referencing the Vietnam War, revealing how the war’s significance is represented through music, globally and across generations.

He started compiling, writing, and editing this project in 2007 to share his Vietnam War song collection. Over the last 17+ years he has developed the VWSP to be a unique cultural-historical living archive, cataloguing, analyzing, and digitizing music that references the war. Containing 6,000+ songs, the project is now a respected academic resource and a significant source of reference in popular culture. As part of the project, he has written articles, consulted with artists, and worked with media and academic institutions.

He gained his PhD in history from University College London (UCL) in April 2012 on the subject of Anglo-American relations 1969-1974. He also conducted research on "British policy, the Vietnam War and East of Suez (1964-1967)", and "British policy towards Palestine (1914-1917)".

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“Dr Brummer [...] combs record stores around the world looking for obscure and unique songs written about the war, and the collection he's continually building is some serious and important work”

(Erin R. McCoy; cited in A War Tour of Viet Nam: A Cultural History, McFarland, 2021)

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"Justin Brummer...and his Vietnam War Song Project...attempt to document every song recorded about the Vietnam War. The public face of the project is a YouTube channel where you can listen to many rare 45s unavailable on any streaming service".

(Jason Melllard; cited in The Journal of Texas Music History, 2024)

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"Vietnam War Songs Project continues to find incredible Primary Sources for teachers to use in their Vietnam War teaching" [and that the project] "adds a different primary source emphasis to dealing with the Vietnam War"

(James Akenson, The Tennessee Council for the Social Studies, 2022)

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"The Vietnam War Song Project is an epic undertaking [...] it's an invaluable resource for anyone who cares about the history of the war [...] Justin Brummer, the one-man operation who put together the project [is] the greatest scholar of songs about the Vietnam War"

(James Barber; cited in Military.com, 2017)

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Select Publications

The Vietnam War Song Project: A Texas Discography

Justin Brummer

The Journal of Texas Music History, vol. 24, 2024, pp. 26-51

Vietnam War Song Project: Master List

Justin Brummer, Founding Editor

Vietnam War Song Project (VWSP): Digital Archive & Collection, 2024

Vietnam on Record: An Incomplete Discography

Hugo Keesing, Wouter Keesing, C.L. Yarbrough, Justin Brummer

University of Maryland, Modern Songs of War and Conflict: Keesing Collection on Popular Music and Culture, 2023

The Vietnam War: A History in Song

Justin Brummer

History Today, 2018

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Select Projects

Vietnam War: Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs

A collection of peace, protest, and anti-war songs referencing the Vietnam War

Vietnam War: My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

A collection of songs and spoken-word recordings referencing Lt. William Calley and the My Lai Massacre

Vietnam War: Kent / Jackson State Songs

Songs about or referencing the Kent State shootings ("May 4 massacre" or the "Kent State massacre"), and the Jackson State killings.

Vietnam War: Soul, Gospel, & Funk Records

Vietnam War songs in the genres of soul, doo-wop, R&B, gospel, and funk

Vietnam War: the Blues

Vietnam War songs in the blues music genre

Vietnam War: Punk Songs

A collection of punk songs that reference the Vietnam War

Vietnam War: Australian & New Zealand Songs

A collection of Vietnam War songs and spoken-word records from Australia & New Zealand

Vietnam War: Mexican-American Songs

Mexican-American songs about the Vietnam War. This includes songs from the Chicano movement, Tex-Mex, Tejano, and other sub-genres performed by Mexican-Americans.

Vietnam War: Puerto Rican Songs

Puerto Rican songs about the Vietnam War

Vietnam War: Latin & Central American, & Caribbean Music

Vietnam War songs influenced by Latin, Central American & Caribbean music, covering various genres and countries

Vietnam War: European Songs

Vietnam War songs from Europe

Vietnam War: 1968 Chicago Seven / Eight Songs

Songs about or referencing demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, where eight protesters were arrested. They are known as the Chicago Seven and Chicago Eight

Vietnam War: P.O.W. / M.I.A. Songs

Vietnam War songs about US Prisoners of War (P.O.W.) and the Missing in Action (M.I.A.) - also known as the POW/MIA issue

Vietnam War: Veterans Memorial Wall Songs

Song about or referencing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., sometimes called the "Black Wall".

Vietnam War: Christmas Songs

Songs that reference the Vietnam War and Christmas

Vietnam War: Children on Record

Children & teenagers singing / talking about the Vietnam War on record

Post-War American Political Songs Project

US post-war presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush. Key political figures eg. MLK and Wallace, and major wars / issues eg. Iranian hostage crisis, the Gulf War etc.

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Contact

Justin Brummer

Vietnam War Song Project (VWSP)

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About

“Dr Brummer [...] combs record stores around the world looking for obscure and unique songs written about the war, and the collection he's continually building is some serious and important work”

"Justin Brummer...and his Vietnam War Song Project...attempt to document every song recorded about the Vietnam War. The public face of the project is a YouTube channel where you can listen to many rare 45s unavailable on any streaming service".

"Vietnam War Songs Project continues to find incredible Primary Sources for teachers to use in their Vietnam War teaching" [and that the project] "adds a different primary source emphasis to dealing with the Vietnam War"

"The Vietnam War Song Project is an epic undertaking [...] it's an invaluable resource for anyone who cares about the history of the war [...] Justin Brummer, the one-man operation who put together the project [is] the greatest scholar of songs about the Vietnam War"

Select Publications

Select Projects

Contact

Justin Brummer