Charles E. Hamm (born in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1925) was a musicologist, composer, author, and educator. He authored numerous books and articles on popular and art music, most notably the landmark books Music in the New World (New York: Norton, 1983) and Yesterdays: Popular Song in America (New York: Norton, 1979), which helped to pioneer the academic study of popular music. Professor Hamm was one of the founding organizers of The International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM). He was president of the American Musicological Society, and contributed major entries on John Cage, “Manuscript Sources of Renaissance Music,” and “Popular Music” to the New Grove Dictionary of Music. In 2002, he was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the Society for American Music and served as Professor Emeritus of Music at Dartmouth College.

d. Oct. 16, 2011, Hanover, NH