Music: Black Musicians and Music History
This page was originally compiled In celebration of Black History Month but is relevant year-round. A selection of sources on Black and African-ancestry musicians, composers, conductors, and musical narratives.
Books
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Afro-Cuban Music by In spite of its relatively small size Cuba has had an inordinately large musical influence both inside the Caribbean and abroad. From the ⿿rhumba⿿ (son) craze of the 1920s and ⿿30s to mambo and cha-cha-cha in the 1950s and ⿿60s and the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon of the late ⿿90s, Cuba has been central to popular music developments throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States and Europe.
Unfortunately, no one has ever attempted to survey the extensive literature on the island⿿s music, in particular the vernacular contributions of its Afro-Cuban population. This unprecedented bibliographic guide attempts to do just that. Ranging from the 19th century to early 2009 it offers almost 5000 entries on all of the island⿿s main genre families, e.g. Cancion Cubana, Danzon, Son, Rumba, and Sacred Musics (Santeria, Palo, Abakua, and Arara), as well as such recent developments as timba, rap and regueton. It also provides sections on Afro-Cuban musical instruments, the music⿿s influence abroad, and a biographical and critical component covering the lives and careers of more than 800 artists and ensembles. Spanish-language sources are covered comprehensively, in particular dozens of locally published journals such as Bohemia, Carteles, Revolucion y Cultura, Revista Salsa Cubana, andTropicana Internacional, all indexed here for the first time, as well as the sizable international literature in English, French, and other European languages.
The work concludes with an extensive reference section offering lists of Sources Consulted, a guide to relevant Libraries and Archives, an appendix listing artists and ensembles by idiom/occupation, and two detailed Author and Subject Indexes.ISBN: 0984413421Publication Date: 2012 -
American Composer Zenobia Powell Perry by Zenobia Powell Perry (1908-1993) was a composer whose life provides insight to a special time in the 1920s and '30s when black American composers were finally being recognized for their unique contributions to the country's music. Born in Boley, Oklahoma to a black father and a black Creek Indian mother, Zenobia was influenced by both black American and native American folklore, music, language, and poetry. In American Composer Zenobia Powell Perry: Race and Gender in the 20th Century, Jeannie Gayle Pool examines the life of this talented individual who faced tremendous challenges as a female, as an African American, and as a woman of mixed heritage. Based on interviews conducted by the author, as well as Perry's personal papers, correspondence, and scores, Pool provides a rich portrait of this unique composer. Pool also provides an analysis of Perry's musical style, a chronology, a complete list of works, and several appendixes. Raising many complex and unresolved issues related to American blacks with Native American heritage, Perry's life story bears witness to a century in which tremendous strides were made toward equality for all.ISBN: 9780810863767Publication Date: 2008-12-19 -
Beyoncé in formation : remixing black feminism by Making headlines when it was launched in 2015, Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley's undergraduate course "Beyonce Feminism, Rihanna Womanism" has inspired students from all walks of life. In Beyonce in Formation, Tinsley now takes her rich observations beyond the classroom, using the blockbuster album and video Lemonade as a soundtrack for vital next-millennium narratives. Woven with candid observations about her life as a feminist scholar of African studies and a cisgender femme married to a trans spouse, Tinsley's "Femme-onade" mixtape explores myriad facets of black women's sexuality and gender. Turning to Beyonce's "Don't Hurt Yourself," Tinsley assesses black feminist critiques of marriage and then considers the models of motherhood offered in "Daddy Lessons," interspersing these passages with memories from Tinsley's multiracial family history. Her chapters on nontraditional bonds culminate in a discussion of contemporary LGBT politics through the lens of the internet-breaking video "Formation," underscoring why Beyonce's black femme-inism isn't only for ciswomen. From pleasure politics and the struggle for black women's reproductive justice to the subtext of blues and country music traditions, the landscape in this tour is populated by activists and artists (including Loretta Lynn) and infused with vibrant interpretations of Queen Bey's provocative, peerless imagery and lyrics. In the tradition of Roxanne Gay's Bad Feminist and Jill Lepore's bestselling cultural histories, Beyonce in Formation is the work of a daring intellectual who is poised to spark a new conversation about freedom and identity in America.ISBN: 9781477317716Publication Date: 2018 -
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Bibliography of Black Music v. 2. Afro-American idioms. by ISBN: 9780313242298Product information not available. -
Bibliography of Black Music v. 3. Geographical studies by ISBN: 0313235104Publication Date: 1982-06-14Product information not available. -
Bibliography of Black Music v. 4. Theory, education, and related studies. by ISBN: 9780313235108Publication Date: 1982-06-14Product information not available. -
A Black Canadian Bibliography by A bibliography about works by and about the diverse peoples of African heritage living in Canada. The second section of the book includes audio and video material including contributions in jazz, gospel, reggae, calypso, steel band and dub poetry.ISBN: 0968273432Publication Date: 2000- -
Black Lives Matter and Music by Music has always been integral to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, with songs such as Kendrick Lamar's "Alright," J. Cole's "Be Free," D'Angelo and the Vanguard's "The Charade," The Game's "Don't Shoot," Janelle Monae's "Hell You Talmbout," Usher's "Chains," and many others serving as unofficial anthems and soundtracks for members and allies of the movement. In this collection of critical studies, contributors draw from ethnographic research and personal encounters to illustrate how scholarly research of, approaches to, and teaching about the role of music in the Black Lives Matter movement can contribute to public awareness of the social, economic, political, scientific, and other forms of injustices in our society. Each chapter in Black Lives Matter and Music focuses on a particular case study, with the goal to inspire and facilitate productive dialogues among scholars, students, and the communities we study. From nuanced snapshots of how African American musical genres have flourished in different cities and the role of these genres in local activism, to explorations of musical pedagogy on the American college campus, readers will be challenged to think of how activism and social justice work might appear in American higher education and in academic research. Black Lives Matter and Music provokes us to examine how we teach, how we conduct research, and ultimately, how we should think about the ways that black struggle, liberation, and identity have evolved in the United States and around the world.ISBN: 9780253038418Publication Date: 2018-08-10 -
Black Music Matters by Black Music Matters: Jazz and the Transformation of Music Studies is one of the first books to promote the reform of music studies with a centralized presence of jazz and black music to ground American musicians in a core facet of their true cultural heritage. Ed Sarath applies an emergent consciousness-based worldview called Integral Theory to music studies while drawing upon overarching conversations on diversity and race and a rich body of literature on the seminal place of black music in American culture. Combining a visionary perspective with an activist tone, Sarath installs jazz and black music in as a foundation for a new paradigm of twenty-first-century musical training that will yield an unprecedented skill set for transcultural navigation among musicians. Sarath analyzes prevalent patterns in music studies change discourse, including an in-depth critique of multiculturalism, and proposes new curricular and organizational systems along with a new model of music inquiry called Integral Musicology. This jazz/black music paradigm further develops into a revolutionary catalyst for development of creativity and consciousness in education and society at large. Sarath's work engages all those who share an interest in black-white race dynamics and its musical ramifications, spirituality and consciousness, and the promotion of creativity throughout all forms of intellectual and personal expression.ISBN: 1538111705Publication Date: 2018-08-15 -
Black Opera by From classic films like Carmen Jones to contemporary works like The Diary of Sally Hemings and U-Carmen eKhayelitsa, American and South African artists and composers have used opera to reclaim black people's place in history. Naomi André draws on the experiences of performers and audiences to explore this music's resonance with today's listeners. Interacting with creators and performers, as well as with the works themselves, André reveals how black opera unearths suppressed truths. These truths provoke complex, if uncomfortable, reconsideration of racial, gender, sexual, and other oppressive ideologies. Opera, in turn, operates as a cultural and political force that employs an immense, transformative power to represent or even liberate. Viewing opera as a fertile site for critical inquiry, political activism, and social change, Black Opera lays the foundation for innovative new approaches to applied scholarship.ISBN: 9780252041921Publication Date: 2018-05-04 -
Blues, Funk, Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Hip Hop, and Rap by Despite the influence of African American music and study as a worldwide phenomenon, no comprehensive and fully annotated reference tool currently exists that covers the wide range of genres. This much needed bibliography fills an important gap in this research area and will prove an indispensable resource for librarians and scholars studying African American music and culture.ISBN: 9780415973199Publication Date: 2010 -
Blues Legacies and Black Feminism by Angela Davis's book is a complete revelation to me and a serious re-education.' Toni Morrison From the author of 'Women, Race & Class' comes a brilliant analysis of the blues which provides the historical, social and political contexts with which to reinterpret the performances and lyrics of Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey, Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday as the articulation of a black, working- class, feminist consciousness at odds with mainstream American culture.'ISBN: 9780679771265Publication Date: 1999 -
Hidden in the Mix by Country music's debt to African American music has long been recognized. Black musicians have helped to shape the styles of many of the most important performers in the country canon. The partnership between Lesley Riddle and A. P. Carter produced much of the Carter Family's repertoire; the street musician Tee Tot Payne taught a young Hank Williams Sr.; the guitar playing of Arnold Schultz influenced western Kentuckians, including Bill Monroe and Ike Everly. Yet attention to how these and other African Americans enriched the music played by whites has obscured the achievements of black country-music performers and the enjoyment of black listeners. The contributors to Hidden in the Mix examine how country music became "white," how that fictive racialization has been maintained, and how African American artists and fans have used country music to elaborate their own identities. They investigate topics as diverse as the role of race in shaping old-time record catalogues, the transracial West of the hick-hopper Cowboy Troy, and the place of U.S. country music in postcolonial debates about race and resistance. Revealing how music mediates both the ideology and the lived experience of race, Hidden in the Mix challenges the status of country music as "the white man's blues." Contributors. Michael Awkward, Erika Brady, Barbara Ching, Adam Gussow, Patrick Huber, Charles Hughes, Jeffrey A. Keith, Kip Lornell, Diane Pecknold, David Sanjek, Tony Thomas, Jerry WeverISBN: 9780822394976Publication Date: 2013 -
Prophets of the Hood by At once the most lucrative, popular, and culturally oppositional musical force in the United States, hip hop demands the kind of interpretation Imani Perry provides here: criticism engaged with this vibrant musical form on its own terms. A scholar and a fan, Perry considers the art, politics, and culture of hip hop through an analysis of song lyrics, the words of the prophets of the hood. Recognizing prevailing characterizations of hip hop as a transnational musical form, Perry advances a powerful argument that hip hop is first and foremost black American music. At the same time, she contends that many studies have shortchanged the aesthetic value of rap by attributing its form and content primarily to socioeconomic factors. Her innovative analysis revels in the artistry of hip hop, revealing it as an art of innovation, not deprivation. Perry offers detailed readings of the lyrics of many hip hop artists, including Ice Cube, Public Enemy, De La Soul, krs-One, OutKast, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim, Biggie Smalls, Nas, Method Man, and Lauryn Hill. She focuses on the cultural foundations of the music and on the form and narrative features of the songs--the call and response, the reliance on the break, the use of metaphor, and the recurring figures of the trickster and the outlaw. Perry also provides complex considerations of hip hop's association with crime, violence, and misogyny. She shows that while its message may be disconcerting, rap often expresses brilliant insights about existence in a society mired in difficult racial and gender politics. Hip hop, she suggests, airs a much wider, more troubling range of black experience than was projected during the civil rights era. It provides a unique public space where the sacred and the profane impulses within African American culture unite.ISBN: 9780822386155Publication Date: 2004-11-30 -
Woodwind Music of Black Composers by The preponderance of early Black composers wrote choral music and even the most outstanding among them did not compose works for woodwinds. However, the later half of the twentieth century has witnessed a rise in compositions for woodwinds, both for solo and chamber ensembles by relatively unknown Black composers. This pioneering volume will become the standard source of information on nineteenth and twentieth century Black composers from three continents as well as their woodwind compositions. It contains the most current and complete biographical data on 90 African composers, Afro-American composers, Afro-Latin composers, and Afro-European composers, including their education and professional experience and information on their continuing musical influence. A distinctive feature is the separate, easy-to-use woodwind music index of both published and unpublished works for solo and chamber ensembles that groups the music by medium and numbers into 27 categories that contain some 430 works. Exact instrumentation, dedication or commission, premiere performance, and publisher are also found here. A list of abbreviations, key to publishers, collections, and manuscripts, and a discography of 38 recordings of woodwind works by 26 of the included composers complete the volume. This first bibliography of woodwind music by Black composers is an excellent reference work for Black composers, for the woodwind repertoire, and for American music in general. It will be highly useful in college-level courses such as Survey of Afro-American Music and Woodwind Literature as well as to woodwind players, ensemble directors, and scholars.ISBN: 0313272654Publication Date: 1990-01-24
Video
Listening
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Playlist: Black Canadian Musicians and Composers
A selection of works by Black Canadian musicians, composers, and conductors from the Naxos Music Library database.
Websites
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#BlackMusicMatters: Hip-Hop & Social Justice in Canada#BlackMusicMatters: Hip-Hop & Social Justice in Canada is a listening- and inquiry-based resource designed for teachers with students in grades 7-12. It is intended to be used by educators of various disciplines who wish to explore Black culture, history, and creation, specifically through the lens of hip-hop music. The aim of #BlackMusicMatters is to introduce students to Canadian hip-hop artists and their music, while engaging them in critical inquiry of a variety of social justice themes.
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The African American Art Song AllianceThe African American Art Song Alliance was founded in 1997 to promote and Uplift the contributions made by African-Americans to art song, be they composers, performers or scholars.
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African Diaspora Music ProjectTo create a repository for the concert works (those intended for the concert stage; aka classical works) of composers of the African Diaspora. (The African Diaspora in this context is defined as those composers throughout the world descended from people of West and Central Africa).
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Black Canadian composers of art songPart of the Canadian Art Song Project, this page identifies some of the notable composers of Black Canadian Art Song.
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Center for Black Music ResearchCenter for Black Music Research (CBMR) holds materials highlighting the role of black music in world culture with materials originating or representing black music in the United States, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean in a variety of formats: personal papers, scores, sheet music, audio-visual materials, photographs, books, periodicals, and commercial recordings.
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Institute for Composer DiversityThe Institute for Composer Diversity, housed at the State University of New York at Fredonia, is dedicated to the celebration, education, and advocacy of music created by composers from historically underrepresented groups through database resources and programming analysis.
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My People Tell StoriesMy People Tell Stories was started based on the premise that people of color need to tell and interpret their own stories. We provide services in arts education, including professional development for teachers, artists, and researchers who seek to center diverse, inclusive, and equitable practices in their work. We strive to do work that leads to the healing of mind, body, spirit, and soul.