The History of African American Music Culture

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African Americans play a very important role in the life and culture of the United States. Much of the heritage and history of black America is deeply rooted in its music. The influence of African Americans on mainstream American music began in the 19th century, with the advent of blackface minstrelsy. The origins of African American music began in the continent of Africa, where music was a prevalent part of life. It served as prayers to different Gods, and as a form of self-expression or communications between different tribes. The banjo is actually an African instrument, and was brought to America by slaves.

Ragtime Music

Drums and tambourines were also an integral part of the tribal and ceremonial music of Africa. These instruments were involved in music known as ragtime, which is accredited to African Americans who were living in America in the early 19^th century. When the slaves were brought onto American soil, they utilized bues-style music as a form of expression of their sadness and determination. Much of this original music was written and performed as a form of communication, or to send signals to each other to plan escapes from their slavery. By the civil war, this music had taken on a new personality. The blues had begun, and would form a building block for all forms of music to come.

Features common to most African American music styles include

field hollers
work song
call and response
vocality: guttural effects, interpolated vocality, falsetto, melisma, vocal rhythmization
improvisation
blue notes
polyrhythms: syncopation, concrescence, tension, improvisation, percussion, swung note
texture: antiphony, homophony, polyphony, heterophony
harmony: vernacular progressions; complex, multi-part harmony, as in spirituals and barbershop music

Gospel and Jazz Music

In early 20th-century American theater, the first musicals written and produced by African Americans debuted on Broadway in 1898 with A Trip to Coontown by Bob Cole and Billy Johnson. In 1901, the first known recording of black musicians was that of Bert Williams and George Walker; this set featured music from Broadway musicals. Gospel music also played an integral role in African American music. In most cases, this form of music was almost all vocal, with perhaps an organ or drums accompanying it. But it was the heartfelt vocalization of gospel music being played and sung in the black churches that made the impact. The music often reflected the hope that was found through God, and expressed the heartfelt prayers that were said by many African Americans during this timeframe, which was the beginning of a new era. Gospel gave the community a new hope and a sense of new and better times ahead. During the Harlem Renaissance in the early 20^th century, the blues began to morph and transform into jazz. Jazz, a new form of expressive music, took off like wildfire not only among the African American community, but among the whites and other races as well. It was later when artists like Sam Cooke, B.B. King, and of course, Louis Armstrong took the stage that the music became more widely recognized. By the 1940s, cover versions of African American songs were commonplace, and frequently topped the charts, while the original musicians found success among their African American audience, but not in mainstream.

Funk and Hip-Hop

Over time, the more modern African American music styles took prevalence. Funk and soul became the true trademarks of the 1960s and early to middle 1970s. Album-oriented soul continued its popularity, while musicians such as Smokey Robinson helped turn it into Quiet Storm music. Funk evolved into two strands, one a pop-soul-jazz-bass fusion pioneered by Sly & the Family Stone, and the other a more experimental psychedelic and metal fusion epitomized by George Clinton and his P-Funk ensemble. Artists like Smokey Robinson, George Clinton, and Gloria Gaynor helped pave the way for funk and disco music. It was an immediate success, and many of these artists were on the Billboard charts. Soon, this disco music transformed into a techno-like music, which then paved the way for hip-hop. Rap or hip-hop, was a much more expressive form of music that involved spoken word combined with music. This type of music took off in the early 1980s with groups like Run DMC. Today, African Americans are an essential part of music in the United States. Without their passionate and tireless contributions, the world would not have as many creative and enduring sounds to enjoy.

Resource by E.Trio

I am an online writer and soon to be published author. I grew up in Southern California, but I currently live in the Bay Area while I work on my books. I enjoy camping and hiking with my dog Max or just relaxing on the back porch while I write. Stay tuned for my first children’s book to be released about Max.

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