Andrew Flory

Andrew Flory is a Professor of Music at Carleton College since 2011, specializing in American popular music post-1945. His research bridges critical race studies, popular music studies, and empirical archival methods.

• PhD and MA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• B.A. from City College of New York

Flory’s research centers on Motown Records, corporate agency in music, and audio production innovations. He has served as a consultant and reissue producer for Universal Records and Motown, analyzing multi-track archives to study artists like Marvin Gaye.

His publications include the book I Hear a Symphony: Motown and Crossover R&B (2017) and co-authorship of the textbook What’s That Sound (2012, 2015, 2018). His recent work explores distortion, prepared piano, and electronic experimentalists in American music innovation.

Teaching at Carleton includes introductory courses on rock, R&B, and jazz, emphasizing critical listening, source analysis, and writing. He also leads advanced seminars on the Beatles, Motown, and jazz reception, focusing on original research projects using primary materials.

Flory developed Carleton’s college electro-acoustic lab and teaches the hybrid performance/academic course Rocklab, combining rock music history with hands-on performance and recording for non-majors.