The Golden Gate Quartet
The Golden Gate Quartet Previous Next Quick History Jubilee quartets have roots stemming from the Fisk Jubilee Singers, formed in 1871. This group banded together to preform negro spirituals and combat the large amount of debt that Fisk was facing. These performances of negro spirituals to audiences led to the creation of jubilee quartets and […]
Mamie Smith: The Queen of Blues
Mamie Smith: The Queen of Blues Introduction In the 1860s, a new sound emerged. Evolving from Black work songs, blues has its roots in secular folk music. In 1903, W.C. Handy, who dubbed himself as the “Father of the Blues”, said that this particular style of music was born from a revelation he had while […]
“Love, Peace, and Soul”
“Love, Peace, and Soul”: A Look at Soul Train Introduction Soul Train was a show that promoted individuality, good times, and musical expression. Formed in 1970, a time when soul music had been dominating African American expression for a number of years, Soul Train was a showcase for popular music in various genres. A lot […]
India.Arie
India.Arie Introduction India.Arie is a neo-soul and R&B artist who simply does not receive enough credit for just how amazing her music is. When most people speak about the greatest music to come out of the early 2000s, India is hardly ever given her props. India is well known by many, however, she doesn’t receive […]
James Brown and Funk
James Brown and FUNK Play Play Previous Next Bio Born: May 3, 1933 (Barnwell, South Carolina) Died: December 25, 2006 (Atlanta, Georgia) The Beginning of a Legacy: James Brown was arrested for stealing a car, which ultimately leads to him leading a church choir in prison. This is where he met Bobby Byrd. Sometime after […]
The 10×10: 100 Years of Gospel
The 10×10: 100 Years of Praise and Worship Gospel music has had a weighty impact on the black community since its creation. With its beginnings in the Gospel period of the Jubilee Quartet genre (which developed from negro spirituals), Gospel music took the black community by storm and has been active ever since. Gospel music […]
A Love Supreme: Acknowledgement
A Love Supreme: Acknowledgement A Love Supreme is a jazz album that was recorded in December 1964 and released the following month (January 1965) by John Coltrane. This is a 32 minute album consisting of four parts: Part I: Acknowledgment Part II: Resolution Part III: Pursuance Part IV: Psalm Analysis of Part I: Acknowledgement Part […]
Joplin and Uplift
Joplin and Uplift Play Play Previous Next Introduction There are many connections between uplift ideology and Treemonisha. Uplift ideology is a term used to describe motivational moves to empower the Black community and provide betterment for the greater good. Many critics see Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha as an uplift opera, as the titular heroine seeks to […]
Oh Freedom!: Spirituals as a Second Language
Negro spirituals have been prevalent since the time of their creation. In times of enslavement, enslaved Africans were exposed to Christianity. Many people believe that the journey during the transatlantic trade washed away all African cultural practices. While many things were stripped from these individuals through chattel enslavement, some still remained. The way enslaved […]
The (Attempted) Erasure of Black People in Folk
by Ashantee Goggins What is Folk Music? Folk music is music that is passed through generations with traditional or cultural ties. Though a piece of music does not have to have a certain type of sound to be technically considered as folk, a lot of traditional folk music has a certain type of […]
