Gil Scott Heron, The Revolutionist
Thesis Gil Scott-Heron was a controversial poet and songwriter whose willingness to undeniably speak the truth, laid the foundation for future socially conscious artists. Who was Gil Scott Heron? In the city of Chicago, Gil Scott-Heron was born on April 1, 1948. He was born to his mother, Bobbie Scott-Heron who worked as a librarian […]
Chess Records
Chess recorded, located in Chicago and founded in 1950, captured and shaped a new style of American music that was heavily shaped by the South. Chess would go on to influence rock and roll pioneers such as Chuck Berry to the Rolling Stones, becoming synonymous with the American rhythm and blues. /*! elementor – v3.8.0 […]
Women of the Blues
/*! elementor – v3.8.1 – 13-11-2022 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Introduction The 1920’s was accompanied by a blues soundtrack that included elements such as call and response, syncopation, and flattened ‘blue’ notes. Early 20th-century African Americans in the South originated the blues, a type of secular folk music. By the 1960s, […]
Who is Gladys Bentley?
Blues was a prominent musical genre in the early 1900s. African Americans are indeed the creators. This type of music introduced the “feeling” style. Folk music of this kind is frequently performed verbally or with a piano. The flow of the guitar and rhythmic methods like syncopation are what distinguish the blues as a distinct […]
How the Blues Killed the Blues
During the 1920’s and 1930’s, the blues played a pivotal part in the expression of African Americans’ suffering. Coming off of the emergence of ragtime in the 1920’s, which reflected the creative and material abundance of the Roaring 20’s, blues used ragtime techniques and combined them with swing to express a different emotion: “The Blues.” […]
Empress of the Blues- Camryn Henry
/*! elementor – v3.9.0 – 06-12-2022 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Introduction Classic Blues was the earliest form of blues music. Classic Blues were performed by female singers accompanied by small bands of jazz musicians or by instrumental duos and solo pianists. The form of blues vocals that these women blues singers […]
The Early Women of the Blues
/*! elementor – v3.7.7 – 20-09-2022 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} /*! elementor – v3.7.7 – 20-09-2022 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} The Early Women of The Blues Introduction The early women of the blues such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Mamie Smith, shaped the style known today as blues. […]
“Satin Doll” and “Gone With What Wind”: A Closer Look at the Songs
/*! elementor – v3.7.7 – 20-09-2022 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Who are the Musicians? Duke Ellington The Big Band Era was filled with many great composers. One of the greatest, arguable being, Duke Ellington. His upbringing took place in Washington D.C. He had a comfortable childhood, living in a nice house […]
20th Century “Hotlanta”: Piedmont Blues in Georgia
/*! elementor – v3.7.8 – 02-10-2022 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Introduction Among the many styles of blues that were birthed among the various North American regions, Piedmont blues in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Appalachian mountains in Georgia and Virginia was one of the most renowned (OnMusic Companion). The melancholic yet […]
The Overlooked Face Behind The Voice: Ma Rainey
Blues is at the epicenter of almost all American Music that we hear. This genre has created a blueprint or guide for the artists and sounds that we hear today. One person who was extremely influential to the Blues genre, and who we can give thanks to for some of our favorite songs is Ma […]
Commodifications in Music
/*! elementor – v3.4.8 – 16-11-2021 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Commodifications in music: By: Leah Robinson /*! elementor – v3.4.8 – 16-11-2021 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} Negro Spirituals: Prior to the Jubilee Quartets and other famous negro spiritual artists, slave songs were very prominent during this time period. White […]
All About The Blues
/*! elementor – v3.6.4 – 13-04-2022 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} Blues music is so beautiful. Not only is the sound beautiful but the history behind it is as well. Some of the artists that were popular in this style include B.B. King, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Lead Belly, […]
Commodification of African American Music
/*! elementor – v3.4.8 – 16-11-2021 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Commodification of African American Music Darlene Nawuridam Commodification is treating something or someone as a product that can be bought or sold. In African American music specifically, white people have been stealing their art for centuries. African American music evolved from […]
Mamie Smith’s Impact on Blues
Mamie Smith’s Impact on Blues Mamie Smith’s legacy is one that will always be remembered. Mamie Smith’s influence opened the door for black vocalists in Blues, which sparked the era of “Race records”. Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues” changed music. Artists like Mamie Smith made a way for herself, for black artists, and black women. Women […]
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 […]
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith is one of the founding artists of blues and has had a tremendous and long-lasting effect on the genre, earning her the title “The Empress of Blues”. Bessie Smith was one of six siblings, when she was young, she performed with her brother on the street in order to make money. Around 1912 […]
Bessie Smith: One Of The Most Famous Blues Singers
/*! elementor – v3.5.6 – 28-02-2022 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Her Background Bessie Smith was an American Blues Singer widely known during the Jazz Age. The Jazz Age was a period in the 1920s and 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles rapidly gained nationwide popularity in the United States. […]
Are White Blues Singers Appropriating Black Culture?
Are White Blues Singers Appropriating Black Culture? You probably recognize the man in the picture: singer Elvis Presley. He is sometimes referred to “the King of Rock and Roll,” and you have likely heard some of his songs. One of his most famous songs is “Hound Dog.” There is a reason I’m bringing it up, […]
Summer of Soul Notes
/*! elementor – v3.4.6 – 19-10-2021 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} /*! elementor – v3.4.6 – 19-10-2021 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Summer of Soul Notes & Key Takeaways 1969 changed everything for the black community including new styles of music and the beginning of a revolution. At this time the […]
The Exploitation of Blues
The Exploitation of Blues by Lila Gilliam The blues was a genre the originated in the South, inspired and influenced by slavery. I like to think of the genre as a spin-off of the Negro Spiritual and Folk Music- secular music that still tells a story and relates to the plight of the Black man […]
