A Black Woman’s Advocacy in Music: Nina Simone
by: LaShaunda McWright Nina Simone It is common for people apart of the African Diaspora to use music to share the history and troubles of African Americans. These types of singers are often referred to as folk arts. Nina Simone used her talents as a black vocalist to express the pains of her community. From […]
Dr. Mattie Moss Clark – A Gospel Music Pioneer
Artist Paper by: LaShaunda McWright Before the illustrious sounds of the Grammy-Award Winning Clark Sisters, was the Minister of Music, composer, arranger and writer, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. Born Mattie Juliet Moss on March 26, 1925, in Selma, AL, she learned how to play the piano at the tender age of six. Just one […]
Dr. Mattie Moss Clark
by: LaShaunda McWright (Artist Paper Source) Artist: Dr. Mattie Moss Clark Dr. Mattie Moss Clark was an American gospel singer and choir director. She was the mother of the popular Grammy Award Winning Gospel Group – The Clark Singers. Scholarly References: AllMusic – https://allmusic.com/artist/mattie-moss-clark-mn0000170806 BelieverSportal – https://believersportal.com/biography- […]
So Funkdafied!
by: LaShaunda McWright 2.Which treats of the first sally the ingenious Don Quixote made from home These preliminaries settled, he did not care to put off any longer the execution of his design, urged on to it by the thought of all the world was losing by his delay, seeing what wrongs he intended to […]
The Blues of a Black Woman: Bessie Smith
by: LaShaunda McWright “I ain’t good-lookin’, but I’m somebody’s angel child.” ~ Bessie Smith Early Years Known as “The Empress of the Blues” Bessie Smith was born Elizabeth Smith, on April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, TN although there are assumptions of her actual birth date being July 1892. By the time she was eight, she […]
Aretha – A Name To Be Respected
by: LaShaunda McWright “Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy with that.” —Aretha Franklin When you hear the name “Aretha”, you know exactly who is being talked about! For decades, Aretha Franklin reigned […]
Beyond Gospel: Rev. James Cleveland – Fusing Gospel Music
by LaShaunda McWright https://youtu.be/546FvzTqUxw REV. JAMES CLEVELAND The first gospel singer to receive a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, Rev. James Cleveland began composing songs as a teenager. His multi-talents gained him the titles “King of Gospel Music”, the Father of Gospel and the Crown Prince of Gospel. His gift of song, […]
Tia Fuller: The Woman Behind the Jazz
by: LaShaunda McWright As an artist, performer, and teacher, Fuller feels that she is fulfilling her purpose here on this earth, which is to “serve as a light for others.” TIA FULLER. – Saxophonist, Composer, Teacher, Band Leader Grammy-Nominated Saxophonist Tia Fuller is an accomplished educator with a passion for her gift of music. She […]
The Messages of Negro Spirituals
by: LaShaunda McWright “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Coming For to Carry Me Home!” Many might argue where music derived from but the truth is, it derived from an unspoken language. A language that only could be communicated through the pains of slaves. The earliest Negro Spiritual was recorded in the 1800s. However, it was a […]
Harmony in History: The Fisk Jubilee Quartet
by: LaShaunda McWright INTRODUCTION The Fisk Jubilee Quartets are widely known for their four-part harmonies commonly sang in a cappella who introduced negro spirituals. They attended Fisk University which was established in 1866 as a school for African Americans formally known as the “Fisk Free Colored School”. It was the first American university […]
