Derrick May- An Original Creator of Techno
When the rise of techno music began to happen, there were three important people associated with the increase of popularity. These people included Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May. May kept his spot as one of the original creators of techno although inactive within the techno world for many years. This is because of […]
The Misogynistic Culture of Hip Hop
During the rise of rap/hip-hop in the 1980s and 90s, there was extremely explicit sexual content in the lyrics as well as the music videos that accompanied them. This made rap and hip-hop extremely controversial. Rap was already controversial enough without the aspect of misogyny factoring into the music genre. Rap/hip-hop had a sense of […]
A Comparison of Mahalia Jackson and Marvin Sapp
Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson was a prevalent gospel artist between the late 1920s and 1960s. Her music style of gospel music had an element of blues combined with full-throated tones and note-bending (Ankeny). She also had some elements of jazz incorporated into her musical style which was heavily criticized by church elders during the time […]
Race Music to R&B- A Look at the Evolution of Rhythm and Blues
During the 1940s, the term R&B was coined after World War II (Henry, 2018). Although the music genre itself was not new in the culture, this term became popularized because the original term (race music) was viewed as problematic. This caused the switch in the name to become more inclusive. However, while the name was […]
Howlin’ Wolf (1960s Blues)
Life and Death Chester Arthur Burnett also known as Howlin Wolf was born in White Station, Mississippi on June 10, 1910. He died on January 10, 1976 in Chicago, Illinois. Early Life Howlin’ Wolf became invested with music at a young age learning how to play a one-stringed instrument as well as a harmonica (Mississippi […]
Cecil Taylor the Piano Croner of Free Jazz
Cecil taylor was born on March 25, in 1929 in Corona, Queens, New York. He started playing the piano at a really young age and practiced at least six days out of the week. Once graduating from high school, he attended both New York’s college of Music and Boston’s New England Conservatory (NPR, 2018). Notoriety […]
Ragtime and the Roaring 20s
The Dixie Hummingbirds: Spirituals to Soul
Origins The Dixie Hummingbirds originated from Greenville, South Carolina in 1928. James Davis is credited as the member to first create the group as well as put the quartet together. The other members of the group include Barney Parks, Bonnie Gipson Jr., and Fred Owens. The quarter first performed at the Bethel Church of Holiness […]
Negro Spirituals: Heaven or Hell?
Negro Spirituals originated from The Great Awakening era, during the 16th century. During this time, Christianity was forced on enslaved African Americans by their owners. In turn, Negro Spirituals were created and inherently different from the Eurocentric Psalms, which was observed by the slave owners when hearing the Negro Spirituals. Elements of the Negro Spiritual […]
The Creation of African American Folk Music and its Impact
African American Folk music along with the instruments primarily used for folk music were originally created by Africans. Africans used instruments like the djembe drum as a form of communication to their counterparts about the arrival of the king as well as other events. However, with the rise of slavery and enslaved Africans being brought […]
