June is black music month - celebrate our rich history with knowledge!

June is officially known as Black music month.  Many of the musical gifts enjoyed were created in African American neighborhoods from strong African roots.  The musical gifts include spirituals, gospels, ragtime, blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and hip-hop rap.  As one researches black music it is noted that when slaves were brought to America related to surviving in the new land and the conditions that surrounded them.  Drums were used to communicate among the slaves and make plans for different events unbeknown to their owner what was being discussed.  One’s bodies and voices were used as musical instruments to praise God and looking toward freedom from the livelihood in at the time.  The songs sung during this timeframe were known as “plantation songs”, “slave songs”, “jubilee songs” that were referencing biblical stories.

The oldest African American music is spirituals that convey messages of freedom.  Some spirituals are “Go Down Moses”, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, “Steal Away” and “This Little Light of Mine”.  Today the spirituals are still song but rearranged for different genre of music to appeal to all listening ears.  It should be noted that some spirituals became known as “freedom songs” for the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s. 

As we celebrate Black music month please share these facts may not be as well-known but need to be shared.

1.      Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield was born a slave but became the first black concert singer.  She was known around the world as the “African Nightingale” and “Black Swan” for her amazing voice.

2.      W.C. Handy was a great cornet player and the composer of the “Memphis Blues” that was the first popular blues song to be published.

3.      Duke Ellington led an award-winning orchestra and influenced today’s jazz and blues of today.

4.      Aretha Franklin is known as the “Queen of Soul” and became the first woman to be induced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This is a strong rich history of expressing oneself through different types of music that has roots from the African American community but it is American’s music month.  Enjoy different types of music and listen for the messages.