Kit O'Toole, Ed.D.
Music Historian, Educator, Author
Phone:
(630) 614-1581
Email:
A Bit About Me
Renowned Chicago-based writer and music journalist, Dr. Kit O’Toole is the author of Songs We Were Singing: Guided Tours Through the Beatles’ Lesser-Known Tracks and Michael Jackson FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of Pop. She also co-edited The Act You’ve Known for All These Years: The Beatles and Fandom with Beatles historian Kenneth Womack. She is also the cohost of two popular podcasts: Talk More Talk: A Solo Beatles Videocast and Toppermost of the Poppermost. In addition to her two books, O’Toole is also associate editor and a longtime contributor for Beatlefan magazine, reviewer and “Deep Beatles” columnist for Something Else Reviews, a frequent contributor to Cinema Sentries, and a regular speaker at The Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago and New York and the Beatles at the Ridge festival in Walnut Ridge, AR. O’Toole has also presented at the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, and written chapters for several academic collections. She has taught several online courses in music history for Monmouth University and holds a doctorate in Instructional Technology.
Work Experience
January 2021 - present
JFebruary 2008 - present
February 2008-present
Adult Education Instructor, Monmouth University. I teach adult education students using the Zoom platform about music history, giving multimedia presentations and engaging students in large and small group discussions. Courses designed and taught include History of Motown, Philadelphia Soul, History of Rock & Roll, History of the British Invasion, the Music of Stevie Wonder, and Bring in Da Funk.
Freelance Writer. I have written music columns and features for such websites as Blogcritics, Something Else Reviews, Blinded by Sound, Cinema Sentries, and Culture Sonar. For samples of my work, see the Portfolio section of this site.
Author. I have written two books: Michael Jackson FAQ for Backbeat books, and Songs We Were Singing: Guided Tours Through the Beatles' Lesser-Known Tracks (12 Bar Publishing). I also co-edited along with Kenneth Womack Fandom and the Beatles: The Act You've Known for All These Years for Oxford University Press. In addition, I have contributed chapters for several academic collections, including The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper, and the Summer of Love; The Beatles in Context; and Interdisciplinary Essays on Environment and Culture: One Planet, One Humanity, and the Media.