HISTORY OF BLACK MUSIC

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JACKED FROM ANOTHER BOARD SHOUT OUT TO WILLIE B

THE HISTORY OF BLACK MUSIC....(for those who have no idea )
I FELT THIS WAS NEED FOR THE GENERATION WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT 'REAL' MUSIC AND ARE LED TO BELIEVE THE SHIT ON THE RADIO IS WHAT COMPOSES OUR WHOLE MUSICAL HISTORY & HERITAGE. EAT THIS SOUL FOOD PLEASE

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THE WORKSONG/ SPIRITUAL
(circa 1619)

Before Rap, before R&B, before Jazz and before Blues... there was the Work Song. None of the musical genres that came after these work songs could have existed without them. The "Call & Response" form of these worksongs came straight out of the Slaves' African heritage. Originally, they were ritualistic in nature and related directly to the religions they had left behind. The only instrument they used was the drum and their own voices. It was not long after they arrived in America, however, that they were not allowed to either sing in their native tongue, nor put anything related to their religion in the lyrics. The drums were believed to incite rebellion and they were taken away. And so the slaves began to merge the tone and rhythm of their old language into the chant and the lyrics were derived directly from their everyday life. The voice became used as an instrument and set the scene for what was to come.

GOSPEL
(circa 1619)

In the last 50-100 years of slavery, it became accepted to convert slaves to Christians. Before this time it was not even a consideration, for in order to justify slavery, you had to believe the slaves to be souless. Interestingly it was the Quakers who put a twist on the dilema and claimed that converting the slave to Christianity was a justification for slavery. As Afro-Americans were allowed religion, it became a unifying social occasion. Something for them to rally around and believe in. Up until this point, they had not been allowed to practice any kind of religion at all, except furtively. Now they could gather, socialize and in a sense, elevate their spirits. Gospel grew out of this as singing became a natural outlet for their pent up frustrations and troubles. The same "Call & Response" of the worksong was utilized and expounded

THE BLUES
(circa 1865)

After the civil war, the newly freed people had a whole new kind of trouble to deal with. They were taken from the lives that they had known and thrust into a new world that, while it had freed them, wanted nothing to do with them. The American culture could no longer condone the blight of slavery, but niether was it ready to accept the new free men and women into their society. To those who did not find a new kind of slavery in the rentee/landlord arrangement with landowners, this introduced a new kind of transitory lifestyle to many, especially men. It was these men who took up both guitar and harmonica, instruments that were cheap and easy to travel with. It was in this setting of displacement in their own country, that the blues were born from their souls.
What made the Blues so different, beyond the inherent sense of frustration and despair that so many Afro-Americans felt at that time, was the legacy of the worksong. The early blues artists and even the later Jazz musicians used their instruments as extensions of their voice. The rythyms that they made were in the same non-syncopated form as the worksong had been and the sounds were meant to mimic the human voice. It was this way that the blues became even more poignant and even more sucessful in their intent to convey emotion.

Traveling Blues shows, Minstrelsies, began to tour the country. Blues began to be heard everywhere, and it began to influence people if only to prepare them for what came next. It was still primarily black music listened to by black people, but that would change.

JAZZ
(circa 1900)

Around 1914 the great exodus north began. WWI was a major catalyst in producing the modern black man. It was through this internationality that Afro-Americans were able to see the world as more of a whole and their place as Americans within it. They participated in the war (albeit in their own segregated troops) and while they were meant to simply be more bodies to use in the war-machine, they gained an enormous sense of being part of something....that something being America. And so they began to try and step up into the role of American, not just ex-slave.
Afro-Americans were drawn for many reasons to the industrial centers of the north(mainly St. Louis and Chicago). One of the biggest was simply the need to leave behind the south and the slavery it was associated with. There was also the call of work, work that was not simply agricultural. The American dream was drawing these particular Americans forth as much as it did with the early pioneers of the West. Up the river went the Blues and a new kind of music went with it.

During the reign of Napoleon, the military band was all the rage among the French. This translated to the importation of brass band instruments to all the french settlements, New Orleans included. Creoles ("mixed breeds"- usually part black,part french, sometimes part indian) who were usually well educated freemen, and later their newly freed bretheren, became infatuated with these instruments and the sounds they could make. Incorporating the sounds of blues and the same non-western, non-syncopated rythyms that had been brought from Africa, a new breed of music began to grow. At first it was simply a take on traditional marching band music, but it began to metamorphize as blues became more and more prevalent.

First Ragtime, and then Jass, or Jazz. Again, the instrument was employed to mimic the human voice in tonality and spirit, and again, something wonderful emerged.

From New Orleans, Jazz moved upriver with the exodus and in the house-parties of the 20' and 30's, it gained momentum. Where the Blues was the "devil's music" to many of the Black middle class, Jazz was acceptable. "Black music" was the rage in the clubs and parties of the 20's. Jazz made it possible for Afro-American music to be imitated for the first time by white musicians...the beginnings of what was to come. The broad emotional meaning of the genre allowed such cross-cultural developments without being 'watered down'. From Jazz grew many different elements within it. Bebop, Swing, Boogie Woogie, Free Jazz and Hard Bop were all examples of the experimentation the musicians of the time were making to elevate the sound. It became more and more mainstream and more and more musicians began to try new things...to take things another step along.

RHYTHM & BLUES
(circa 1940)

Nothing shaped modern day Rock and Roll more than Rhythm & Blues. It was first and foremost a backlash against the direction that Jazz had gone. As with anything adopted by the masses, Jazz had lost its soul in many respects. It was to undergo a revival...looking back to the older blues heart of it, but the musicians of the time were looking for something new. Out of the Hard Bop movement within Jazz itself, the innovators added a new funky backbone..getting harder with the rythyms and the sounds. The soulful feel of Gospel blended in to produce the next step in the evolution of black music. It became again, an almost exclusively black music...but not for very long. The radio began to blare these "shouting blues" and again it was taken up by the mainstream. Now you can listen to almost any modern rock today and you will hear the soul roots of the Rythym & Blues pioneers.

FUNK
(circa 1970)

Funk took its name from a black slang expression meaning body odor, but it wouldn't wear off as the '70s wore on. It lasted at least 15 years, leaving a collection of work as durable and as danceable as anything ever produced. Funk referred most to the strong bass line, and it became the movement where R&B's anonymous studio legends of the '60s came out from behind the slick vocal groups to become stars. Funk used the upped volume from the late 60s rock bands and turned R&B eclectic. Funk was street music and it was drug music, it was the experiment with R&B that took on its own life. The evolving social climate was not being addressed by many of the major labels and the artists felt the need to express those changing times. Artists like George Clinton, Curtis Mayfield, and James Brown were getting down and dirty. The 70s were as much an effort to take it to the next level as it was a rebellion against the polish of the formulaic '60s R&B. Funk was sex, drugs and Rock n' Roll at its ultimate.

HIP HOP/RAP
(circa 1978)

The nationwide popularity of Rock n' Roll was pervasive and complete. It had permeated every layer of American culture...and not only was it stagnating in some respects, it was also losing the voice of the Afro-American who had created and fueled it. Funk's sound and rythyms did not evolve into Hip Hop, but it did set the stage. There are several elements to Hip Hop, which were defined in the streets during the late '70s... rapping, DJing, break dancing and graffiti writing. Hip Hop was and still is its own sub culture, and that culture had its own voice.
The times were changing again and Afro-Americans had yet another new set of problems to deal with as the nation progressed. The migratory steps that had been taken since the beginning of the century had led many of America's blacks to the citys, and early on, their boundaries in society had been set as surely as any chain around the neck. Confined to certain areas of the city, relegated to jobs with little to no wages, a pattern was set that assured poverty and with it, poor education. Up to this very day, this is the case, and the black man had a new set of blues to sing.

Rap is the closest road that black music has taken back to its original roots in the worksong. The "Call & Response", the rhythmical use of the voice as an instrument, and the deep seated frustration inherent in the environment are all present. Drawing up the R&B rhythyms and "rapping" over it grew out of the house party and the clubs just as Jazz had. In 1979, FatBack released "King Tim III", the SugarHill Gang released "Rapper's Delight"... and a new genre was born.

The evolution of black music is simply the evolution of American music. It is also a definitive paralell with the history of the Afro-American in America. It speaks clearly of the feelings and thoughts of a people who had to exist within a society and yet still be forced to remain seperate from it. When you talk about black music, you are talking about Afro-American history.



LINKS:

BLACK MUSIC 101 TIMELINE
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BLACK GOSPEL MUSIC
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CLASSICAL BLACK COMPOSERS
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BLACK MUSIC DIRECTORY & HISTORY ARCHIVES
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THE HISTORY OF BLACK MUSIC
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HISTORY OF BLUES MUSIC
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BLACK MUSIC HISTORY
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JAZZ HISTORY AND BLACK MUSIC
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AFRICLASSICAL - AFRICAN HERITAGE IN CLASSICAL MUSIC
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CENTER FOR BLACK MUSICAL RESEARCH
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THE VISIONARIES:

BLUES

ROBERT JOHNSON
One of the most celebrated Blues figures in history is Robert Johnson. Born in 1911, he lived only 27 years old and produced a grand total of 29 tracks, but his legacy is one that is still felt in the blues today. Both scholars and critics agree that even with so little material to study, Johnson was a blues genius. According to the myth, Johnson sold his soul to the Devil to obtain his amazing guitar skills. Arguably, no one has been able to surpass his unconvential approach to the guitar since. Johnson's only two recording sessions occured only a couple of years before his death. Not long after those sessions, he resumed his wandering and was poisoned with strychnine-laced whiskey after having an affair with the wife of a local bar-owner. He was inducted into the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
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MAMIE SMITH
Born in 1883, Mamie Smith was the first vocalist to ever record a blues song. A vaudville and cabaret singer, her version of composer Perry Bradford's "Crazy Blues" was a national hit in 1920. The astounding success of the single sent record companies rushing to tap the new "race" market. Though she was not a true blues singer, she set the stage for other female vocalists and she also set the trend with her stylish look. Nearly every other female blues singer of the '20s copied her appearance.
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BESSIE SMITH
Born in 1894, Bessie Smith was the greatest and most influential blues singer of the 20s. With her talent, her excessive personality and her wild ways, she became a huge black cultural symbol. Her enormous success represented triumph over the white domination of the entertainment industry. Her death in 1937 was at the prime of her career. She died after an auto accident that left her too badly injured to recover. The lore surrounding her death at the time was that she was taken to a white hospital and refused treatment, instead letting her bleed to death. Apparently what really happened was that she was taken to a colored hospital where she recieved treatment that included amputation of one arm. She died the next day. Although there were 7,000 people at her funeral, she went without a headstone until one was purchased by Janis Joplin.
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WILLIE DIXON
Born in 1915, Willie Dixon did more to shape Chicago Blues than nearly anyone else besides perhaps Muddy Waters. He was the ultimate all-around blues man, working as a bass player, compser, producer, arranger and bandleader..to name a few. He initially began a career as a boxer, even sparring with Joe Louis, but it only lasted four fights after an altercation with his manager ended his pro career. In 1939 he formed The Five Breezes which played until 1941 when he was arrested for refusing to serve in the armed forces. During his term and after he got out, he continued writing, playing and producing music all the way until his death in 1992. He was and still is a major influence in his field.


MUDDY WATERS
Born in 1915, Muddy Waters was the king of Postwar Chicago Blues. One of 10 children and the son of a sharecropper, he got his nickname because he loved to play down by a muddy creek as a child. He learned to sing out in the cotton fields he worked in and started playing the guitar when he was 17. Inspired by Son House and Robert Johnson, he began to build his style. Waters left his mark on untold numbers of bluesmen and blues rockers, both American and British. He was responsible for the melding of the Mississippi Delta Blues and the urban Chicago Blues. To many blues fans, he IS the blues. His first recording was in 1941. Muddy Waters died of a heart attack in his sleep in 1983.
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ELMORE JAMES
Born in 1918, Elmore James was the single most important slide-guitar musician in the Postwar period. Like Muddy Waters, he was from the family of a Mississippi Delta sharecropper. He taught himself guitar on a one-stringed instrument he made himself. He met Robert Johnson only a year before Johnson died. It was a short aquaintance, but it made an enormous impression, and he made Johnson's slide guitar techniques the trademark of his style. In 1952 he recorded the redone Robert Johnson tune Dust My Broom and it catapulted him into the spotlight. He was still at the peak of his career when he died in 1963 of a heart attack.
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JOHN LEE HOOKER
Born in 1920, John Lee Hooker owns one of the most distinctive voices in blues. Known as the father of the boogie, his sound is deep, sexy and layered with innuendo. His sounds inspired an entire generation of blues-rockers like the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and the Animals. Unlike many other Blues musicians, Hooker made his mark in Detroit. He was from Clarksdale, Mississippi but left at the age of 15 for Memphis where he worked as an usher in a theater and played his guitar on the corner for spare change. Later, he made his way to Detroit where he worked as a janitor, playing in clubs and house parties in his spare time. His recording career began in 1948 and hasn't let up since. He remains one of the seminal ambassadors of the Blues.

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JAZZ

LOUIS ARMSTRONG
"Pops", "Dippermouth", "Satchmo" or just Louis, his birthdate is traditionally July 4, 1900. One of the most familiar and beloved jazz musicians of all time, he was that genres first soloist and its first true singer. He left his mark on not only Jazz, but the entire world. Around the age of seven, he began to sing with various street bands in his hometown, New Orleans. In 1912, he was arrested for firing a gun into the air on New Year's Eve. He was taken to the city's Colored Waif's Home where he received his musical education. After his release he began to perform in the city's cabarets and soon fell under the wing of Joe "King" Oliver, the leader of the city's best jazz band. He played in Chicago with Oliver, electrifying audiences with his talent as he grew more confident in his abilities. In 1924, he moved to New York where he set the pace that all other musicians at the time had to struggle to keep up with. Throughout his career he was continually striving to innovate, never failing to push himself as far and as hard as he could. He died in 1971.
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DUKE ELLINGTON
Born Edward Kennedy Ellington in 1899, "Duke" was a tour de force in the world of big band jazz. Pianist-composer-bandleader, he used his band like an instrument and the sounds he made with it were revolutionary to jazz. He studied music theory and harmony at an early age and he wrote his first composition "The Soda Fountain Rag" when he was 17. During the 20s he spent 4 years at the famous Cotton Club, building his popularity. Ellington used only the very best musicians and understood completely that it was their talent that focused his. In the 50s when money problems closed down many of the big jazz bands, he used his composing royalties to keep his own afloat. More than most bandleaders, Duke wrote with his musicians in mind. It was part of his genius and it was the reason that many of his musicians stayed with him for over 20 years. His sound characterized the big band jazz sound until he died in 1974.
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DIZZY GILLESPIE
Born in 1917, John Birks Gillespie began playing the trumpet as a child. He formed his own band at the age of 14. He garnered a music scholarship to Laurinburg Institute, but he left before his senior year. He moved to Philadelphia and began his professional career. He began developing bebop while jamming with such names as Charlie Parker and Thelonius Monk. After playing for different bands for several years, he formed his own label, Dee Gee Records. When the company folded he continued to play with other jazz greats including Charles Mingus, Max Roach and Charlie Parker. In 1953, someone fell on his trumpet, bending it skyward. He kept it that way, liking the sound it produced. After winning several Grammy Awards and writing his autobiography, Gillespie died in 1993..still touted as one of the greatest jazz musicians ever.
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CHARLIE PARKER
Born in 1920, one of the greatest soloists in the history of jazz, Charlie "Bird" Parker got his first sax at the age of 11. He dropped out of school after going to see Count Basie's band and being blown away by Lester Young's sax work. When he was 16 he began to work professionally, meeting Dizzy Gillespie and later moving to New York. He began to jam with local jazz musicians and was instrumental in helping Dizzy Gillespie create the jazz genre of Bebop. He and Gillespie took it west where he stayed after recording Jazz at the Philharmonic shows. In 1947 he returned to New York and continued to record and play. At the age of 34, suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, he died of heart failure in 1955. The Rhino Works


CHARLES MINGUS
Born in 1922, Charles Mingus was one of the most powerful forces in modern jazz. He took up the bass at the age of 16, studied piano and music theory, and got his first gig with Buddy Collette. By 1942 he had worked with Louis Armstrong and he formed his own band in 1944. It was the '50s that saw him emerge as a leading innovator in the avant-garde jazz movement. A great student of jazz, he used his broad knowledge to shape his compositions..mixing it with his childhood. Mingus said: "This was based on a form of music I heard as a kid. My mother used to go to church on Wednesday night. There was always clapping of hands and shouting. Methodist or Holiness Church. Holiness was a little louder, in order to stir up the spirits, the dead spirits." In the '60s, he experimented with large bands, but by 1977, MS had taken his body. He died in 1979.
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JOHN COLTRANE
Born in 1926, John William Coltrane moved to Philadelphia after graduating from high school. He mastered the alto, tenor and sprano sax and began playing in local venues. In 1945 he joined the US Navy band. A few years later, he joined Dizzy Gillespie's big band where he stayed until 1951. He underwent a "spiritual awakening" of sorts in 1957 and as a result he kicked his drug and alcohol habits. Coltrane was a jazz explorer, he was perhaps one of the greatest innovators of modern music. Interested in free jazz and Indian scales, he was always forging new paths into unknown territory.
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ORNETTE COLEMAN
Born in 1930, Ornette Coleman started playing the alto sax at the age of 14. His first gigs were backing up musicians like Big Joe Turner and Pee Wee Crayton. His first LP was with Don Cherry in 1958 and he later signed with Atlantic Records. By 1959 and for the next five years, he toured clubs around the country. Unhappy with the money, he returned to New York and in 1971 he opened his own club, Artist House. He was the master of free jazz, which was more abstract and had fewer musical boundaries than any other form of avant garde jazz. It was not thought of in the beginning as a true art form and Ornette was one of the main shapers in its acceptance. It slowly made its way into the hearts of jazz fans and by 1959 it was an accepted art form.

[brandiesha]

thaaaaanks!! this should be interesting to read

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GOSPEL

MAHALIA JACKSON
Few would argue with the statement that Mahalia Jackson was the greatest singer in gospel history. Born in 1911, she had a strict religious upbringing..but still managed to be greatly influenced by the rich New Orleans-ness of her hometown. She started singing as a child in her church. When she was in eighth grade, she left school. Inspired by such singers as "Ma" Rainey and Bessie Smith, she moved to Chicago in 1927 where she worked as both a maid and a nurse. In 1935 she was signed with Decca after scouts heard her singing at a funeral. From there her career only went up. She signed with Apollo and later with Columbia Records where she had her biggest success. She gained an enormous following, both white and black, although her new status alienated many blacks who felt she had "sold out". She died in 1972 and her funeral was more of a gospel music celebration than a wake. Celebrites from all over the country attended and Aretha Franklin sang "Precious Lord" at the climax. A second funeral was held in New Orleans a few days later.
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CLARA WARD
Born in 1924, Clara made her national debut at the age of 19 singing at the National Baptist Convention. She was one of the most flamboyant and charismatic singers in the history of gospel music, her strong voice the powerhouse that drove her through her career. She was the first true gospel music star, and her Clara Ward Singers were spectacular. Dressed in high fashion wigs and gaudy outfits, they brought the house down with their performances. Although her flamboyance and her business practices drove some of her following and her fellow performers away, she was still much in demand. She formed several groups of Clara Ward Singers and promoters had to be careful to specifically ask for Clara Ward when they booked, or they would get one of her groups instead. In 1961, she shocked the gospel world when she signed a 40 week contract to perform in Las Vegas. Clara Ward died in 1973.
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THE SOUL STIRRERS
Founded in 1934 the Soul Stirrers were an all-male vocal group which used the four and five part quartet method of harmonizing that had become popular around 1900. While many of these groups emphasized harmony and syncopation, the group was moving towards "hard gospel". This more emotional style often used two lead singers with one talking over the other to raise the emotional pitch. Formed by Robert Harris, the group included Silas Roy Crain, Jesse Farley, T.L. Bruster, and R.B. Robinson. By 1950, Harris had quit the group as they became more popular. He could not longer take the hardships of constant touring. He was replaced by Sam Cooke, then a teen, who catapulted them to their greatest fame. Handsome and charming, Cooke attracted a great deal of female attention to the group, and they packed churches and arenas. Cooke left the group in 1957 to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by Johnnie Taylor who was the first of several different singers, but they never again achieved the heights they had with Sam Cooke.
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SHIRLEY CEASAR
Born in 1938, Shirley Ceasar was one of 12 children. She began her singing career at the age of 10, performing as Baby Shirley. At 12 she made her first recording and then in 1958 she joined the Caravans...a group that was to spawn many a solo career. After eight years, she left to become an evangelist. She's won 5 Grammy's and 5 Dove Awards (Gospel Award). In the mid-70s she started hosting her own radio series. One of gospel's biggest stars, Shirley also graduated from Shaw University in 1984 with a bachelors in business administration.


REVEREND JAMES CLEVELAND
The undisputed King of Gospel was born in 1931. Growing up in Chicago, he began his career at Pilgrim Baptist Church and began to build a reputation as a freelance choir director. He moved to Detroit where he was hired as choir director at new Bethel Baptist Church. It was there that he taught the Reverend's daughter, a certain Aretha Franklin, to sing. He later produced her Grammy- winning LP Amazing Grace. In the mid-50s he joined the Caravans like so many other great gospel singers. Credited with writing over 400 gospel songs, he was also the first gospel singer to be awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His songwriting and his choir direction served as primary influences for the generations of gospel singers that came after him.

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R&B

BIG JOE TURNER
One of the key figures, the vehicle we took from R&B to Rock N'Roll, was Big Joe Turner. Born in 1911 in Kansas City, Big Joe's dad was killed when he was 15. To help his family, Joe worked at a variety of odd jobs..from shining shoes to running liquor. In 1929 he began to play boogie-woogie with Kermit "Pete" Johnson in clubs around the Midwest. They were discovered and brought to New York to play Carnegie Hall. The next week they began recording for a label and a star was born. Joe was characterized by his incredible deep singing voice. He didn't play any instruments, his voice was all he needed. New York Times music critic Robert Palmer said: "...his voice, pushing like a Count Basie solo, rich and grainy as a section of saxophones, which dominated the room with the sheer sumptuousness of its sound." Big Joe died of kidney failure in 1985..
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ARETHA FRANKLIN
Born in 1942, Aretha Franklin was the daughter of Reverend C.L. Franklin. The Queen of Soul has earned her title with her incredible vocal technique and the relentless emotional urgency she imparts to her songs. The eldest of three daughters, she spent her youth traveling with her father singing gospel. Influenced by such notaries as Clara Ward, Sam Cooke and Rev. James Cleveland, she and her sisters made their recording debut in 1951. She signed with Columbia in 1960 and in six years she recorded 10 albums. She signed with Atlantic in 66 and her first release off that label went gold. Her fame only grew, even as she swung from R&B into Pop and then back to her Gospel roots. She still shines as one of the greatest vocalists ever.
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RAY CHARLES
Ray Charles Robinson was born in 1930. A towering figure in 20th century music, he managed to blend blues, gospel, jazz, country and R&B into his own unique brand of music. "It" is the genius of Ray Charles. He had begun playing the piano at age four and, having contracted glaucoma at age six, he was soon totally blind. His father died when he was 10 and his mother when he was 15. After his mother died, he joined a dance band . He later moved to Seattle and joined the McSon Trio. Achieving sucess with the trio, they moved to Los Angeles and Ray continued to record for the label which had been renamed Swingtime. His own sound did not really begin to emerge until 1954 when he formed his own band in Dallas. His eclecticism began to bloom in force as over the next years he released several jazz, R&B, pop and then country albums. His legend as an entertainer is worldwide, and he continues to be an enormous influence on all the music genres he's touched.
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OTIS REDDING
Born in 1941, Otis Redding was the ultimate R&B singer.His sound was deeply rooted in gospel and country blues, but he tempered it with the mellower pop sound of Sam Cooke. He first became interested in singing by participating in church choirs. He sang at clubs and dances, joining a band in 1959. He made had his first recording with that band in 1960 and at the end of the session he had the chance to cut two of his own songs. His soulful sound caught the ear of the president of Stax Records who signed him to a subsidiary label, Volt. Over the next two years he released several hits, and became an R&B star, but he never achieved overwhelming fame. Sadly, it was only after his sudden and tragic death in a plane crash at the age of 26 in 1967, that he became the legendary star that he is now. Volt released "Dock of The Bay" after his death and it was Otis's biggest record.
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STEVIE WONDER
Born blind in 1950, Steveland Morris was also born a musical genius. Able to play the piano, the drums and the harmonica at the age of 11, he was brought to Motown Records by Ronnie White of the Miracles and given the name Little Stevie Wonder. His hit-packed career since has earned him 17 Grammies and has had him inducted into the Soungwriters Hall of Fame with over 60 top 40 songs and 17 top 40 albums. He was the first artist to break with the Motown assembly line process, negotiating for his own publishing rights and higher royalties. Said Newsday critic Wayne Robbins in 1991: "Wonder's goal was to shatter the limitations Motown had imposed on its artists, whose albums were rarely more than one or two hits and 10 tracks of filler...(he) wanted to make fully concieved albums that reflected his political, spiritual and romantic philosphy.."
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MARVIN GAYE
Born in 1939, Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. was a rebel. He resisted the iron fist rules of his minister father and suffered through the beatings that were meant to keep him in line. He began singing in his father's church and also sang in various local groups including the Moonglows. In 1960 he moved to Detroit and found work as a Motown sessions drummer. Gaye was Motown's most successful male solo act. He racked up more hits than anyone else there. The label's leading sex symbol, he was paired with Mary Wells and then Kim Weston, but the duet concept didn't catch on until 1967 when he joined Tammi Terrell. The duo had six R&B chart toppers with their smoky sexual chemistry that had listeners convinced they were lovers. Unfortunatley, Tammi was diagnosed with a brain tumor after she collapsed on stage into Marvin's arms. She died 2 years later and Marvin was never the same. After her death, he went into seclusion, coming out four years later to record an album with Diana Ross..but the chemistry wasn't the same. Marvin was shot to death by his father while he was trying to stop his dad from beating his long suffering mother. He was 45.

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FUNK

EARTH, WIND, AND FIRE
The real element in Earth, Wind and Fire is Maurice White. Born in 1941, he started singing gospel at the age four. By the age of 10 he was playing in a band with Booker T. Jones. At 15, his family moved to Chicago where he studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. Later he became a recording session drummer for Chess records. He played for such blues and R&B greats as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. In 1970 he finally formed his own band and moved to Los Angeles. The name was changed to Earth, Wind and Fire in 1971. It consisted of: vocalists Maurice White and Phillip Bailey, with Verdine White on Sax; Andrew Woolfolk on horns; Roland Bautista, Al McKay and Johnnie Graham on guitars; Larry Dunn on keyboards; and Ralph Johnson and Fred White on drums and percussion. Maurice quickly became one of the country's hottest producers after his group went from gold to platinum. The spectacular shows of the group often included magic tricks by Doug Henning and David Copperfield. The group was also rich with elements of religion, gospel, astrology and egyptology. This gaudy glitter was typified with Funk.
The Rhino Works


JAMES BROWN
The hardest working man in show business, James Brown, was born in 1928. Raised in a Georgia whorehouse, James formed his first musical group at the age of 13. A high school dropout, he spent three years in reform school for petty theft...and during that time he resolved to make somthing of himself. When he was paroled in 1952, he joined a quartet of southern gospel singers. The group later transformed into an R&B outfit that was finally named the Flames. They cut a demo at a local radio station and a scout for King Records heard James's impassioned sound and signed them immediately. Though the group had a hit with "Please,Please,Please", it would be over three years before they reached the same level again with a song. After that, Brown developed his band into the hottest R&B/Funk sound in the land. The music was geared to accent his own screams, jumps, and shimmies and it catapulted him to fame. Many, many hits later, he was arrested after a wild car chase through South Carolina and Georgia, tried and sentenced to 6 years. Out now, he received a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 1992.
The Rhino Works


CURTIS MAYFIELD
Born in 1942, Curtis Mayfield was ahead of his time. Performer, producer, songwriter and businessman he was more in sync with the civil rights movement than any of the other musicians of his era. "My songs were not only personal to me, they were personal to a movement.." he said in 1989. He taught himself to play guitar and later performed gospel with his friend Jerry Butler in the Northern Jubilee Singers. In 1957 they formed the Roosters, a doo wop group. The name would change again, to the Impressions, before they scored a hit with "For Your Precious Love". Jerry Butler, the vocalist for the song, left the group to go solo...taking Curtis along as guitarist, though he still remained with the Impressions. In 1960 Mayfield made his first hit as a songwriter and soon other singers in Chicago were turning to him to write for them. He realized early in his career the benefits fo having financial control over his songs. So, while he was still in his teens, he formed Curtom Publishing Company with his then-manager Eddie Thomas. It later became Curtom Records as his dream of owning his own label came true. After going on his own in 1970, he gained enormous success with such hits as "Superfly". In 1990, while performing onstage in Brooklyn, a 500 pound lighting bank fell on him, paralyzing him from the neck down. The accident ended his performing career, but he remains one of the fathers of funk to this day.
The Rhino Works


PARLIMENT/FUNKADELIC
Talking about Funkadelic you have to also talk about Parliment and of course, George Clinton. Born in 1941, the Funk Godfather first worked as a barber. He later formed a doo wop group called the Parliments. They made their recording debut in 1959 and settled in Detroit for the 60s. They did poorly until 1967 when they recorded "(I Wanna) Testify". It was not only their first hit, but it was also a clue that psychedelia was creeping into George's brain. Legal hassles forced him to lose the rights to the name Parliments, so he changed the group's name to Funkadelic. While recording for Westbound Records in 1970, they also signed with Invictus Records ...as Parliment. Clinton then started up one of the most bizarre shows ever staged by a musical group. Parliment/Funkadelic was the example you held up to symbolize Funk and all that it was. Clinton's mind-bending, eye popping shows were also an indication of the turn that things were taking in society. If you were to think of a single thing to repesent the '70s with, Funkadelic would be ideal. The Rhino Works


SLY STONE
The innovations that Sly Stone unleashed on pop music would change it forever. Not only was he a major mover in the Funk movement, but his multi-racial, multi-gender band would shape the way of things to come. Born in 1944, Sylvester Stewart began his career with his family. His mother would play guitar and sing at a local church , his father served as deacon, his older sister would play the piano and he would sing with his 3 other siblings. He taught himself how to play guitar and soon mastered the organ, harmonica and other instruments. He joined a doo wop group as the lead singer and they cut two singles. He studied musical theory and compostion for three years before hooking up with Autumn Records where he began to produce. During the mid-'60s he led a hectic schedule. He formed his own band and worked as a DJ as well. His sister joined his group, The Family Stone, after their little noticed debut album. In 1968, they took off with the release of "Dance to the Music". But as the '60s ended, group members became disaffected by their leader's increasingly erratic behavior. Sly had become embroiled with personal and drug related problems. By the mid seventies, Sly and the Family Stone were no more. They are still remembered as the first group to make Funk commercially successful.
The Rhino Works

[STAX]

HIP HOP

THE SUGARHILL GANG
In the summer of 1979, rap began to break through the mainstream barrier when Michael "Wonder Mike" Wright, Guy "Master Gee" O'Brien, and Henry "Big Bank Hank" Jackson, better known as the Sugarhill Gang, unleashed "Rapper's Delight" on an unsuspecting public. Until then rap was primarily an art form of the moment in which DJs and MCs became ghetto celebrities by selling homemade mix tapes and bootleg blend tapes of live shows. While "Rapper's Delight" was not the first recorded rap record-it was actually preceded by Fatback's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)"-many people credit the single with being their first exposure to the art form. However, many detractors thought it nothing more than a novelty record. Not only was it much more than a fad, but it introduced the planet to the newest cultural movement to emerge from the streets of New York. Hip Hop. Rap would not break through to mainstream for several years more, but the Sugarhill Gang brought it out into the light for the first time.
The Rhino Works


GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE
Born in 1958, Joseph Saddler was raised in the Bronx. One of the pioneers of rap, Flash was signed to Sugarhill records in 1980. One of the first commerically successful entertainers in Hip Hop, he and his crew..the Furious Five (Kid Creole, Rahiem, Cowboy, Scorpio and Melle Mel) were responsible for one of the most socially concious recordings in pop music history. "The Message", which came out in 1982, was a rap of the evils and desperation of ghetto life. The single is seen as a major factor in Rap becoming a social voice speaking on black life, racism and politics. The Furious Five broke up in 1984, but Flash continued his solo career.
The Rhino Works


KURTIS BLOW
Born in 1959, Kurt Walker was raised in New York City right where Hip Hop was born. One of the very first rappers to take his show on the road, Kurtis was not afraid to MC to a 2500 seat arena with only 60 people in it. Heavily influenced by rapping great Grandmaster Flash, Blow had the opportunity to work with the Furious Five in 1978. The group was known briefly as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 7 (The seventh was Kool Kyle). One of the first rappers to be commercially successful, Kurtis had a million-selling single "The Breaks" in 1980. A pioneer in his own right, Kurtis Blow's first five albums helped launch the international rap craze that changed the music industry. His creation of the sample loop revolutionized the way rap records are made today. Kurtis now hosts a weekly old-school hip hop radio show in Los Angeles. (KPWR).
The Rhino Works


RUN DMC
Although rap had been flourishing in black communities, it had not crossed over into the mainstream since the seminal release of "Rapper's Delight" all the way back in 1979. Run DMC changed that. The trio consisting of Joseph Simmons (Run), Darryl McDaniels (DMC), and Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay), was the first to break that barrier. One of the hottest commercial acts of the 80s, Run DMC was also the first rap act to earn a gold record, the first to earn a platinum record, the first to have a video played on MTV, the first to be on the cover of Rolling Stone, the first to appear on "American Bandstand" and the first non-athlete to receive an endorsement contract from Adidas sportswear. Their first album, "Raising Hell" merged rock and rap in such a way that it was accessible to both genres. It was ground-breakingly significant for rap and it opened the floodgates for the popularity of the art form.

[STAX]

WIKIPEDIA:

African American music
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African American music (also called black music, formerly known as race music) is an umbrella term given to a range of musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans, who have long constituted a large ethnic minority of the population of the United States. They were originally brought to North America to work as slaves in cotton plantations, bringing with them typically polyphonic songs from hundreds of ethnic groups across West and Sub-Saharan Africa. In the United States, multiple cultural traditions merged with influences from polka, waltzes and other European music. Later periods saw considerable innovation and change. African American genres are the most important ethnic vernacular tradition in America as they have developed independent of African traditions from which they arise more so than any other immigrant groups, including Europeans; make up the broadest and longest lasting range of styles in America; and have, historically, been more influential, interculturally, geographically, and economically, than other American vernacular traditions (Stewart 1998, p.3).

Features common to most African American styles include:

* call and response
* vocality (or special vocal effects): guttural effects, interpolated vocality, falsetto, blue notes, Afro-melismas, lyric improvisation, vocal rhythmization
* rhythm: syncopation, concrescence, tension, improvisation
* texture: antiphony, homophony, polyphony, heterophony
* harmony: vernacular progressions

(Stewart 1998: p.5-15)
Contents
[hide]

* 1 19th century
* 2 Early 20th century
* 3 Mid 20th century
* 4 The 1970s and 1980s
* 5 The 1990s and 2000s
* 6 See also
* 7 References

[Reecy729]

i've always said that american music is black music

[~*MUSIQ*~]

yup...

the special on vh1 soul was the bomb.

[STAX]

i've always said that american music is black music

:151::151:

[fahiym7allah]

Wow that was great, I hope the young cats read it and start to appreciate real quality music.

[TheHeavyHitter]

A History of Jazz
Jazz History

1700s – Music has always played an important role in African American culture. The roots of jazz can be traced back to the times of slavery where slave work songs were created in the form of “call-and-response.” To tell a story, and pass the time, a song leader would call out a line and the rest of the workers would resond to his call.

Soulful songs called “spirituals” were also sung by slaves. These expressed their strong religious beliefs as well as their desire for freedom.

Elements of both work songs and spirituals are a part of the foundation of jazz.

1800s – During this era, America became known as the “land of opportunity.” Many Europeans immigrated to different American cities in search of fortune and a better life. With these immigrants came a variety of musical traditions as well, such as Irish gigs, German waltzes, and French quadrilles.

The African American composer Scott Joplin combined these newly introduced European compositional styles with the rhythmic and melodic music of the black community. This became known as "ragtime."

1900s – New Orleans played a great role in the evolution of jazz music in the 20th century. At this time, the people of New Orleans hailed from many different cultures. As new settlers arrived in New Orleans, musical traditions from all over the world began to unite. African American musicians merged European musical tradition with such music as blues, ragtime, and marching band to create a new style of music—jazz.

1920s – African Americans began migrating to northern cities like Chicago and New York in search of better opportunity. With them, they brought the sounds of jazz and blues. Young Americans began to embrace this new style of music by listening and dancing to jazz and blues. This represented a rebellion against their parent’s old-fashioned views. Young women, known as "flappers," shocked their parents by cutting their hair and wearing shorter dresses.

For the first time radios and record players were widely available in stores. This encouraged the popularity and growth of jazz music. Jazz went from being played only in New Orleans to becoming a staple of the American airwaves, dance halls, and homes.

1930s – A new style of jazz, "big band swing," emerged. This became the most popular music of the 1930s and 40s. Because of its highly energetic beat, swing music brought people to the dance floor every night.

1940s – Many jazz musicians were drafted to fight in World War II. A million African Americans served in the armed forces all because of the strict segregation that pervaded throughout the era. Because of this, bands were experiencing difficulties in finding musicians to perform in the dance halls.

1950s – Americans began to turn to television as their source of entertainment, and music began to play a less important role. As a result, dance halls began to close all across the country.

Rock ‘n roll was introduced through the variety shows on television, and musicians such as Elvis Presley quickly became the sensation for American teenagers.

1960s – The civil rights movement also had an impact on jazz and the jazz music scene. African American jazz artists had long resented the white owned record companies and clubs that controlled their income. Some artists wanted to break away from these establishments and control their own music.

1970s – Present - Throughout the rest of the 20th century, jazz continued to evolve and take on new forms. The 1970’s saw the popularity of fusion; the 1980’s are known for acid jazz and its return to classic blues; the 1990’s introduced smooth jazz and retro swing.

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THH: Just a little outline of jazz history... take some time and dig deeper into your history.

[krazycat]

[QUOTE=STAX;6814]JACKED FROM ANOTHER BOARD SHOUT OUT TO WILLIE B

THE HISTORY OF BLACK MUSIC....(for those who have no idea )
I FELT THIS WAS NEED FOR THE GENERATION WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT 'REAL' MUSIC AND ARE LED TO BELIEVE THE SHIT ON THE RADIO IS WHAT COMPOSES OUR WHOLE MUSICAL HISTORY & HERITAGE. EAT THIS SOUL FOOD PLEASE

Very good. We really need to know the contributions of African Americans to modern American music. Our music has influenced the modern music of the world. In other words, we gave the world the music that is most popular today.

I also remember my grandfather telling me about the Gandy Dancers. They were a work crew that worked on the railroads in the South. They would sing and work in unison. One person would sing lead and the others would follow striking or hitting something in time with the singer. It made the work easier to do and quicker to do as well. My grandfather said sometimes people would come just to see the sing and work.

[krazycat]

[QUOTE=STAX;6815]THE VISIONARIES:

BLUES

Don't forget Ma Rainy.

[MADMAN]

dang yo. i never new that.

[Robert]

Great thread, Stax.

[Syleecia]

I love this post and discussion. Black music is the foundation to all music here in the U.S.A. That is why I wrote my book "Rhythm Without Blues" to help people fall back in love with R&B. Black music is dying and needs to be revived. Check out my book on Amazon for details. I also wrote for the Encyclopedia of African American Music and covered many of these eras Jazz, Blues, Gospel, R&B and black folks were even heavily involved in Classical music...

[peeper]

I love this post and discussion. Black music is the foundation to all music here in the U.S.A. That is why I wrote my book "Rhythm Without Blues" to help people fall back in love with R&B. Black music is dying and needs to be revived. Check out my book on Amazon for details. I also wrote for the Encyclopedia of African American Music and covered many of these eras Jazz, Blues, Gospel, R&B and black folks were even heavily involved in Classical music...

What took u so long to come to MUH? I'm glad you're here...thanks for sharing.

signed, bookworm:thumbup1:

[JNph]

Noice. I did a paper on this in high school.

[Syleecia]

HI....I just found out about this site...you have to tell me how to navigate around..i find some interesting things on here...What took u so long to come to MUH? I'm glad you're here...thanks for sharing.

signed, bookworm:thumbup1: