Jeff Mills – “The Wizard”
Chicago House. Funk. Electro. Electronic Music. Electric Jazz. What do these genres have in common? Well, perhaps considered separately few elements are shared, but a culmination of their styles results in a new form of music: Techno. Techno is much more than this though. It requires an actively working balance between body and sound; this […]
Battle of the Songs: “Goin’ Up Yonder” vs. “Oh Happy Day”
What is Gospel Music? Gospel music is considered to be a genre of Christian music and is typically used as a form of religious expression. It is, dominantly, associated with black oral traditions, and usually features a call and response, with the lead singer singing a verse and the chorus either repeating the verse or […]
Black and Blue: The Problem that Lies Within
The blues was incepted out of the negro experience, birthed based on an innovative time for black people, starting from the stirrings of ragtime and jazz, which happened to coincide with developments of Black literature, theatre, and arts, as well as an emerging interest in politics and religion. However, this creativity burst in the black […]
King Records
This History and Dissolution of King Records Who would have thought that a record label in Cincinnati, whose lifespan is short in comparison to others in the music industry, would produce 461 hits? King Record extensive history of great achievements, along with their contribution to popular culture, has made the music industry, and the city […]
Grace Jones Bibiography
Grace Jones Bibliography At the Crossroads: Rap Music and Its African Nexus Keyes, Cheryl L. “At the Crossroads: Rap Music and Its African Nexus.” Ethnomusicology, vol. 40, no. 2, 1996, pp. 223–248. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/852060. Postcolonialism and Androgyny The Performance Art of Grace Jones Kershaw, Miriam. “Postcolonialism and androgyny: the performance art of Grace Jones.” Art journal 56.4 (1997): 19-27. […]
Sarah Vaughan – “The Divine One”
One of the most wondrous voices of the -Scott Yanow, critic Sassy. The Divined One. These nicknames above were used to describe Sarah Vaughan, a jazz singer who is hailed for her range and style in music. And I can see why! After listening to her rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” I became captivated […]
History of Ragtime
https://youtu.be/P3nvyuoLJD8 Made by: Alexis Prescott Kyla Price Isimeme Udu
Polk Miller and The Old South Quartette
Polk Miller – August 2, 1844 – October 20, 1913 Before you say anything, I understand how you may be confused. On a site about black music scholars, why I am beginning my post with a picture of a white man? The truth is, as it always will be, the history of black people is […]
The Importance of Negro Spirituals
Born of slavery, the negro spiritual symbolized the hardships of African-Americans and their forced servitude, as well an expression of Christian religious values shaped by their experiences. This style departed from hymns, which were introduced to slaves by the Europeans. However, it is important to mention that spirituals are not hymns. The cultural memory of […]
Short Story: The Truth About African-American Folk Music
“In 1963 we will be a hundred years free. Have you not forgotten that Is it a memory you do not want to remember? The quote above is from Langston Hughes, a poet, columnist, and a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes wrote at a time where African-Americans were re-claiming their heritage and identity […]
