A Celebration of Black Music and Culture

The 19th of June marks Juneteenth, the date in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States, in Galveston, Texas were informed by Major General Gordon Granger that they were free. The timeline here is important because these same people technically were no longer enslaved when U.S. President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation on the 22nd of September in 1862 when he declared, "That on the 1st of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward and forever free…"

It wasn't until two years later that these monumental words would have any effect on the people of Texas, mainly due to the small number of Union forces stationed in the area at the time, leaving little to no power to enforce the president's proclamation. This changed when Major General Gordon Granger delivered General Order No.3, officially publicizing the freedom of all enslaved people and, most importantly, with thousands of troops from the 13th Army Corp, he had the power to enforce what had been the law of the land already for years.

General Orders, Number 3

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired labor. The Freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes, and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.

The formal recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021 represents an opportunity for all Americans to reflect, learn, and honor those who fought and continue to fight for racial equality.

Music has played a vital role in the fight for Black liberation, as the moment that what had been plantation melodies shifted toward new styles of songs that, as one reporter wrote in a local Galveston paper paper called the Flake's Bulletin on the 20th of June, 1879, sound as if the music was "transformed into a new song and the sunshine of the dreams that once dwelt in their hearts burst full and fair upon them as they both felt and realized the fullness of the freedom that is now theirs—not only to enjoy but to perpetuate…."

Music can tell vivid, if not graphic, stories of the time and of the people who made it. It is one of the few art forms that enact real change and move a generation, and thus humanity, forward. So, let's use Juneteenth to celebrate African-American music and how it has come to help define American culture at large.

Origins

Put simply and concisely, nearly every musical genre popular in the United States, and arguably all of Western music, was either created or heavily influenced by Black Americans.

Enslaved people would often sing spirituals, songs that combined their ancestors' African rhythms and musical stylings with Christian hymns and choir music in hopes of fostering community, passing down oral traditions when many had not yet been taught to read, and boldly protesting the cruelty of slavery. 

Foundations In Spirituality

Spirituals also laid the foundation for many musical genres that would influence today's popular music, directly transitioning into gospel music while also helping to shape genres like blues, jazz, and folk.

Many of the industry's most prominent producers of hip-hop and more modern genres attribute their skills on the keys, drums, or other instruments to being raised in the church and through faith and proving that it remains a cultural tradition that defines not only the genres and styles of previous decades but emerging genres and tastes of tomorrow.

The Blues

Robert Johnson, c. 1936

It can be argued that the blues is the most influential form of music developed in the United States and is widely considered one of the first truly American art forms. Blues combined elements of the aforementioned spirituals, call-and-response patterns, and the development of "blue notes" in a scale that gave the genre its unique tone.

While original blues verses were fairly simple, the genre quickly developed into one that focused on storytelling. Stories often ranged from the difficulties of poverty, racial discrimination, and segregation, and personal relationships and, as the genre began to grow and expand, began to reflect the stories and lived experiences of the people of the regions in which it was being played; thus giving rise to different blues styles such as Delta blues of the deep south, Chicago blues of the Midwest, Memphis Blues, and others.

Vocalists like Ma Rainey and guitarists like Robert Johnson were early blues stars, with Johnson popularizing the myth of selling one's soul at the crossroads.

Technological advances led to the genre being electrified in the 1940s and the advent of Chicago blues, with the electric guitar taking on a starring role. Artists like B.B. King and Muddy Waters became mainstream stars, with their musical prowess leading to radio play and, eventually, the creation of rock and roll.

Jazz

Miles Davis, 1967

Jazz was birthed in New Orleans, a combination of blues and ragtime music defined largely by polyrhythms, musical complexity, and improvisation.

By the 1920s, it had become a popular form of music among America's youth, leading to the Jazz Age, with stars such as Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith leading the charge. The increasing popularity of jazz led to the formation of subgenres, with swing music being the first major branch-off. Jazz was a prominently intersectional form of music, with Black and Jewish Americans working in conjunction with one another mainly due to the discrimination both groups experienced and played into Jazz's nature, which is at its peak when improvisational collaboration are prioritized by its players.

Swing Becomes Popular

Swing became popular as a concert genre in the 1930s and '40s, often featuring integrated bands led by a single bandleader. Pop vocalists like Frank Sinatra began gaining in popularity as swing attracted increasingly white audiences, and while he is one of the more prominent names in the mainstream, it was the African American artists in the smaller and local scenes who continued to push the genre forward in more unique ways. With the passing of World War II and the rapidly changing demographic, jazz musicians began shifting the genre into a new format. Bebop jazz developed in the '40s and carried through the '50s and '60s, a subgenre defined mainly by maestro-level talent musicianship, mind-bending improvisation, and more of a focus on art than popularity.

Bandleaders like Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk put their bandmates through the wringer, establishing intense standards that led to bebop groups featuring some of the finest musicians of the day. Virtuosos like Charlie Parker and Davis dazzled fans with energetic concert experiences and created memorable records like Kind of Blue and Jazz at Massey Hall. Davis was a unique innovator, never quite satisfied, eventually leading to the creation of jazz-rock fusion and the seminal album Bitches Brew.

Rock and Roll

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, 1950s

While Elvis Presley has been called the King of Rock and Roll, it has become widely accepted that the genre was actually developed by a variety of Black artists in the 1950s. Rock and roll originated mostly in blues, particularly the electric variation of Chicago Blues. It was originally defined by its use of electric instruments and its shuffling, "skiffle" beat.

The origins of rock and roll are a hotly debated topic.

It is a unique genre, with aspects of racial harmony and division defining its early days. Both young Black and white audiences enjoyed the genre, but "rock and roll" was typically reserved for white artists. In contrast, Black musicians who played and originated the genre were usually described as rhythm and blues or even "race music."

African-American Influences On Rock & Roll

Still, Black musicians continued to innovate the genre, with guitarists like Chuck Berry and Sister Rosetta Tharpe using the guitar as a lead instrument and modifying their amplifiers to create grizzled and aggressive tones. These tones were revolutionary at the time, but now we simply refer to them as distortion.

Rock and roll would go on to become one of the more critical genres of the 20th century, helping to define teen and youth culture in the '50s and '60s as the genre underwent stylistic shifts and proved, once again, that music has the power to be more than just an art form and can be a powerful tool of social change.

As much as adults want to think they're the mature voices in any conversation, it is almost always the youth culture that enacts the most prominent social and cultural changes of the generation. In the 1960s, rock music was closely tied to and associated with youth counterculture. Many rock bands involved themselves in the fight for civil rights and used their music to protest racial segregation, discrimination, and the war in Vietnam. Jimi Hendrix's landmark performance at Woodstock established him as one of the greatest musicians of his era and a true icon of the genre.

R&B and Soul

The Supremes, 1960s

Rhythm and blues developed somewhat simultaneously with rock and roll. Although publications used it primarily to assign differences between Black and white musicians, the genre actually took on a life of its own, with artists like Little Richard and Bo Diddley creating a bridge between the two genres.

While R&B began in the '40s and '50s, the founding of Motown Records in 1958 served as a line of demarcation. Motown helped popularize R&B and soul, getting the genre mainstream airplay when white labels attempted to co-opt the genres. Major acts like The Supremes came to define the "Motown Sound" as the label became the dominant outfit for R&B and soul.

Soul Vs. R&B

Soul music was an offshoot of R&B, with more emphasis on vocals and incorporation of gospel elements. Artists like Ray Charles were tremendously influential on the genre, and his popularity even led him to cut a country record in the early 1960s. Aretha Franklin, another massively popular artist, became known as the Queen of Soul with albums like Lady Soul.

Soul musicians played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Sam Cooke, previously a relatively apolitical artist, recorded "A Change is Gonna Come," a scathing rebuke of racism and discrimination faced by African Americans. This continued into the 1970s with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, a transformative concept album focused on racial justice, police brutality, and the Vietnam War.

But in modern times, the genre has taken a softer and more emotionally-driven flavor, with artists like Aaliyah and even Mariah Carey blending a wide range of influences and working with a broad swath of producers to create genre-defining music that still has massive cultural appeal decades after its release.

Today, artists like Beyoncé and Lizzo are standard bearers, creating their brands of pop-infused R&B that dominate the charts and are some of the biggest artists in the world with some of the most devoted fanbases of any other performer on the planet!

Hip-Hop and Rap

Run-DMC, c. 1985

In the Bronx during the 1970s, an entirely new musical genre was being developed, a unique synthesis of virtually everything that came before with and original sound. Hip-hop was emerging, a genre heavily focused on rhythm, with a rapped, rhyming vocal style. Turntables were used to help build the genre, with early D.J.s using them to remix popular songs and introducing record scratching, essentially allowing them to play the turntable like an instrument by looping sections of different records, scratching vinyls, and more.

Disco was a major influence on early hip-hop, but the genre began to emerge in the mid-1980s. Groups like Run-DMC used emerging technology like drum machines and added an edge to their music, leading to increased play on mainstream radio.

Modern Hip-Hop

By the late 1980s, hip-hop was a major American musical genre. Groups like A Tribe Called Quest and Public Enemy introduced socially conscious lyrics into their music. Gangsta rap soon developed, with N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton serving as a landmark release. The group helped to introduce mainstream audiences to the realities of life many African-Americans living in inner cities experience, with racism and police brutality serving as major themes.

N.W.A.'s success also led to Los Angeles establishing itself as a hip-hop capital to rival New York and the infamous "East vs. West" feud. Artists like 2Pac and Snoop Dogg were pitted against the New York-based Nas and the Notorious B.I.G. and even still to this day with Drake and Kendrick Lamar, which some have deemed the last great beef in Hip-Hop.

And what used to be an almost entirely male-dominated genre, in recent decades female rappers like Nicki Minaj have been able to rise to the level of global superstars.

Where We Go From Here

This fairly brief primer is just that: a tip-of-the-iceberg look at how Black music has helped to shape American culture. There are many different ways to celebrate Juneteenth. Educate yourself on the holiday's history and origins. Head to your local Juneteenth celebration. Volunteer for a justice-oriented organization and patronize Black-owned businesses. However you celebrate, remember to think critically, engage, and respect.