Explore the history of Black music in America. Learn about the genres and artists and their impact on American music history. Discover lesser-known facts and stories that highlight the profound contributions of Black musicians.
In a lively Harlem nightclub in the 1920s, jazz filled the air. Its soulful melodies captivated audiences and broke racial barriers. This was more than music; it was a movement. As we celebrate Black History, we honor Black music’s legacy.
It has shaped American culture. Black music is a powerful expression of resilience and innovation. It spans from the spirituals of enslaved Africans to jazz, blues, and hip-hop.
This a time to reflect on African Americans’ contributions to history. This year, we spotlight the history of Black music, a journey that spans centuries and genres. Did you know Mamie Smith recorded the first song, “Crazy Blues?” Released in 1920, it sold over a million copies.
Black musicians influence social movements and cultural trends. Their stories often go untold, yet they are crucial to understanding America’s music history.
The history of Black music reveals the stories of trailblazing artists who paved the way for future generations. From the haunting rhythms of the Delta blues to hip-hop’s beats, black musicians have pushed the limits of creativity.
Their music entertains, educates, and inspires. It reflects the African American experience: its struggles and triumphs. Join us to celebrate Black music and its lasting impact on American culture.
A History Of Black Music In The U.S.
Since June 7, 1979, Black Music Appreciation Month honors U.S. African-American music. It is a yearly event.
This Black History Month, I want to honor Black American musical pioneers. They have a legacy in the U.S. and around the world.
President Jimmy Carter started it as Black Music Month. He decreed that June would be Black Music Month.
In 2009, President Barack Obama named the monument “Black Music Appreciation Month.”
In his 2016 proclamation. Obama said African American music and musicians have helped the country. “They helped us to dance, sing our faith, and march against injustice. They also helped us defend our promise of freedom and opportunity for all.”
A month of celebrating Black music’s legacy boosts its co-founders’ fortunes. Kenneth Gamble and Dyana Williams.
A presidential proclamation renamed the June campaign Black Music Month. It has also been called African American Music Appreciation Month in recent years.
President Joe Biden signed the proclamation on May 31, 2023.
It partly reads, “During Black Music Month, we honor the legends of American music. They composed the soundtrack of American life.”
American art forms originated from their creative ingenuity. “They now shape global contemporary music. They sing the soul of the American experience.”
Click here to read the proclamation in full!
What is African American Black History Month in June?
Biden signed bipartisan legislation two years ago that established Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Celebrated on June 19, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
Black music is a multibillion-dollar business and cultural asset informing global human beings.
Biden said at the proclamation, “When we set up the Black Music Association in the late 1970s, we intended to stimulate various aspects of the Black music business, along with the all-important consumers, to elevate our industry and garner respect for the creatives and professionals.
Black is more than just a color; it’s a frame of mind. All genres of music created by Black folks in America are our heart and soul gifts — as well as a universal language widely felt and embraced worldwide.”
Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, to the enslaved Africans when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas.
The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as “Juneteenth” by the newly freed people in Texas.
African American Contributions to the Music Industry: A Retrospective
One of my favorite interviews I’ve read was from Vulture.com with Quincy Jones by David Marchese.
The internet was buzzing. Quincy spilled tea on some of our favorite pop culture. He talked about his relationship with the Trumps and modern U.S. pop music.
If you need to learn what I mean, look at the interview here!
It is a read worth reading! In the interview entitled “In Conversation: Quincy Jones.”
His interview got me thinking about the history of music in the United States.
Quincy Jones shaped many music genres, including R&B, funk, and hip-hop. They include soul, big band, swing, bossa nova, jazz, rock, and pop.
Quincy Jones shares candid thoughts on modern pop music’s current condition.
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 14, 1933. He is also known as “Q,” an American record producer, actor, and conductor. He is also an arranger, composer, musician, and television and film producer. He can play the trumpet, French horn, drums, and piano and sing. He founded a magazine, ran an entertainment company, and is a humanitarian.
His career spans six decades in entertainment. He has a record of 79 Grammy nominations and 28 wins, including a 1991 Grammy Legend Award.
Jones, a Seattle native, developed an early interest in music. So, he attended Berklee College of Music.
He rose to fame in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor. He produced a large volume of work in pop music and film scores.
The Conversation…
In the interview, Marchese asked Q…
“Is there innovation happening in modern pop music?”
Q answered…
“Hell no. It’s loops, beats, rhymes, and hooks. What is there for me to learn from that? There are no fucking songs. The song is the power; the singer is the messenger. The greatest singer in the world cannot save a bad song. I learned that 50 years ago, and it’s the single greatest lesson I ever learned as a producer. If you don’t have a great song, it doesn’t matter what else you put around it.”
They continue with Marchese asking Q…
“What would account for the songs being less good than they used to be?”
Q’s response…
“The mentality of the people making the music. Producers now are ignoring all the musical principles of the earlier generations. It’s a joke. That’s different from how it works: you’re supposed to use everything from the past. Knowing where you come from makes getting where you’re going easier. You must understand music to touch people and become the soundtrack to their lives.”
My favorite part of the interview is this question from Marchese…
“What’s something positive you’ve been feeling about music lately?”
Q’s Response…
“Understanding where it comes from. It’s fascinating. A few years ago, I was on a trip with Paul Allen. I went to the bathroom. Maps on the wall showed how the Earth looked a million and a half years ago. Off the coast of South Africa, where Durban is, was the coast of China.”
The people had to be mixing, and you hear it in the music — in the drums from both places. There are African qualities in Chinese and Japanese music, too, with the In the interview, Marchese asked Q…
“Is there innovation happening in modern pop music?”
Q answered…
“Hell no. It’s loops, beats, rhymes, and hooks. What is there for me to learn from that? There aren’t no fucking songs. The song is the power; the singer is the messenger. The greatest singer in the world cannot save a bad song. I learned that 50 years ago, and it’s the single greatest lesson I ever learned as a producer. If you don’t have a great song, it doesn’t matter what else you put around it.”
They continue with Marchese asking Q…
“What would account for the songs being less good than they used to be?”
Q’s response…
“The mentality of the people making the music. Producers now are ignoring all the musical principles of the earlier generations. It’s a joke. That’s different from how it works: you’re supposed to use everything from the past. Knowing where you come from makes getting where you’re going easier. You must understand music to touch people and become the soundtrack to their lives.”
My favorite part of the interview is this question from Marchese…
“What’s something positive you’ve been feeling about music lately?”
Q’s Response…
“Understanding where it comes from. It’s fascinating. A few years ago, I was on a trip with Paul Allen. I went to the bathroom. Maps on the wall showed how the Earth looked a million and a half years ago. Off the coast of South Africa, where Durban is, was the coast of China.”
The people had to be mixing, and you hear it in the music — in the drums from both places. There are African qualities in Chinese and Japanese music, too, with the Kodo drumming. It all comes from Africa. It’s a heavy thing to think about.
Q’s observation became the muse for this article! Click here to read the full interview.
Exploring the Roots of African American Music in the United States
If music came from Africa, we must acknowledge America’s music history. People worldwide know the United States for its music.
The U.S. has earned a reputation for its racism against African Americans.
As Q said, “Many Americans do not know where it comes from.” There has always been a dismissal of Africa’s influence in this nation.
But, the truth is, there would be no USA without Africans or African Americans (slaves or free). They built, promoted and influenced it.
The United States of America would only have great music with the impact of Africans.
Music History of the United States
The history of U.S. music includes many styles, including folk, popular, and classical. Famous American music genres are rhythm and blues, jazz, rock and roll, soul, hip hop, pop, and country.
History began with the Native Americans, the first people to populate North America.
The first musicians in North America were Native Americans. There are hundreds of ethnic groups, each with a unique folk music style.
Many of these cultures and their musical traditions are now extinct. Traditional genres, such as Hawaiian music, thrive with renewed energy today.
European countries, like France and Spain, colonized America. They brought Christian choirs, musical notation, broadsides, and West African slaves.
West African slaves played many instruments. They especially liked drums and string instruments, like the banjo.
The Spanish also played a similar instrument called the bandura. Both cultures introduced polyrhythms and call-and-response vocals.
By the 16th century, mass immigration from England, France, and Spain brought new folk music. Their music followed the importation of Africans as slaves.
The Africans were as varied as the Native Americans. They descended from hundreds of West African ethnic groups.
Like most of its neighbors, American music blends African. European, and some influences.
Later, as the U.S. became a melting pot, diversity grew. Ethnic and musical differences flourished.
The Truth About American Music
I am reading a book, “Tunesmith,” by Jimmy Webb. He is a platinum-selling American songwriter, composer, and singer.
In the book, he explains the truth about American Music.
He said, “We accept Stephen Foster as the father of all American music.” He formulated the framework for the American popular song.”
He developed the verse/chorus format, known as the A/B structure.
Stephen Foster is often credited as one of the first to profit from songwriting. He was a professional songwriter.
Foster’s songs originated American music styles. They spoke of the love of home, the American spirit, and river life. They discussed work, politics, battlefields, slavery, and plantation life. Today, some may judge Foster’s works as biased against African Americans.
Yet, Foster’s work revealed the realities of slavery. It also gave African Americans dignity in his compositions as he grew as an artist. Foster awards the “lady” title to pioneering African American women in “Nelly Was a Lady.”
To buy Tunesmith, click here!
The Truth About Music in the United States!
Webb was quite irritated. He noted that Foster only copied the verse/chorus structure of the Irish folk song.
Foster was, without overdoing it, the first famous American songwriter. He crafted songs entrenched in American cultural heritage.
Foster was a political activist. He wrote anti-separatist propaganda poems as tensions between the North and South grew.
Many accept that his “native” quality. From work songs, chants, and spirituals of Negro laborers. Vanished with Foster’s death on January 13, 1864, in New York City. It reappeared in American music in the 1880s.
Another irritation about Foster’s title as the “Father of American Pop Music” is that it ignores the contributions of many Black poets and country singers. They either preceded or were contemporaries of his heyday and profoundly impacted him.
In the late 1800s, black performers began to copy white minstrel shows. Those shows were themselves copies of a Black minstrel show.
But…
A dramatic expansion of journalism’s groundbreaking work, The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones. A New Origin Story offers a revealing vision of the American past and present.
In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia. Bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa.
Their arrival caused a cruel new system of American chattel slavery. It would last for 250 years.
James A. Bland
Many say that white people first heard Black music in whorehouses. But a northern Negro named James A. Bland broke into the white music-publishing world. He wrote over seven hundred songs for Black minstrel shows.
Everyone assumed that Ben Harney, another African American forerunner, was white. Both Black people and white people believed he was a white man.
Modern American songwriting comes from Scots, Irish, and English ballads and reels. Someone brought them to the Deep South. African and Christian laments, pounding rhythms, and field hollers changed them there.
America’s Music – An African Legacy
Although the musical cultures of West Africa existed during the slave trade, the period they were varied from nation to nation. However, the cultures shared enough to create a common heritage for Africans in the New World.
Accounts from explorers and traders and modern oral traditions show music’s key role in daily life. They reveal unique performance practices and traditional instruments.
We can also imagine how the music might have sounded. Some old instruments are still used today, and a few songs have survived in notation. People have shared music through generations by word of mouth.
Music-making was a group activity. It involved soloists or leaders interacting with the chorus.
Music did more than enhance worship and entertainment. It was a way to communicate and share past and present experiences.
A vital feature of the cultures was integrating music with dance and drama.
The African Diaspora
The exact number of Africans transported to North America via slave ships. The Middle Passage is unknown. Some estimate it at ten million. Others say it was fifteen million or more.
Black men arrived in North America in 1501 with the first explorers. Slavery became established in the West Indies in the 1600s. However, in the 1600s, they imported Africans to the mainland colonies.
From Indentured Servitude to Slavery
Estimates say there were 1,980 colonists in the Plymouth Colony and 1,800 in Virginia from 1600 to 1800. The records do not show how many Black people were in Virginia’s population then.
By 1649, Virginia’s population had increased to 15,000 whites and 300 Black people. In 1626, the Dutch West India Company. Brought eleven Black men from Angola to New Amsterdam at the river’s end. They were to work as the “Company’s Negroes” in the village, as builders, domestics, and farmhands.
Two years later, someone brought three Black women from Angola. Before 1638, New England saw its first Black men. By the middle of the century, Black folks were ordinary on the streets of colonial America.
Indentured servants were the earliest Africans in the colonies. So were many whites and Native Americans of the time.
By 1644, Governor Kieft of New Amsterdam had freed the original eleven Angolans and their wives for long service. Records show that, in the 1650s, black indentured servants in Virginia began to gain their freedom. They had served their time.
In the late 1600s, the colonies imported more Africans. Contracts for Black captives transformed them into permanent slaves, not temporary laborers. They waited in vain for indentures that never arrived.
During this period, Black slavery became established, first by custom, then by law. The colonists, from North to South, began to enact laws. They would hold the incoming Africans in lifelong servitude.
A 1641 Massachusetts law banned enslavement. It was easy to escape. Slave traders only had to prove that they imported Africans captured in wars or sold to them by others.
Colonies acknowledged Black slavery through swift code implementation in the 1660s. Virginia did so in 1661, Maryland in 1663, and New York and New Jersey in 1664.
Later, the colonies of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New England, and the Carolinas followed suit. By 1700, slavery was a reality throughout the thirteen colonies. It was a “peculiar institution.”
The Beginning of Racism in America
Race is a social invention. It grew in the late 17th and early 18th centuries (Fields, 1990; Jordan, 1968; Omi & Winant, 1994; Winant, 2009). The American colonies arose with the idea of race. People used it to describe differences among humans.
Historian Barbara Fields (1990) wrote. “American racial ideology was as original an invention of the Founders as the United States” (p. 101).
According to the American Anthropological Association.
Race was a way to classify people in the colonial situation. It included a rising ideology of inequality. Race aimed to justify European views on and treatment of the conquered and enslaved.
The ideology magnified the differences among Europeans, Africans, and Indians. It set up a rigid hierarchy of exclusive social categories. It also reinforced and justified existing inequalities as natural or God-given.
Along with physical features, cultural and behavioral traits became markers of racial identity.
Whiteness and its traits became the standard of being human. They were the peak of civilization.
The classification portrayed Non-Whites as outsiders in spirituality, culturally primitive, and subordinate. These concepts ranked them as the lowest of humans or subpersons (Mills, 1998).
Classifying Africans as the lowest form of humanity justified race-based slavery. Jordan (1968) considered it the best way to civilize Black people.
To buy the Music of Black Americans!
Captors who enslaved Africans in North America seized their cultural identity. The mainland colonies cut off contact with settlers’ families. They lost touch with their communities.
They could bring no material objects, but they kept memories of their rich cultural traditions from their homeland, which they passed on to their children.
The importance of music and dance in Africa influenced slaves in the colonies. They highlighted this through the songs they sang at their dances and folk festivals.
Also, some customs persisted after years of socializing and became part of the U.S. dominant society. The African experience showed in other areas, too. It was mainly seen in folk literature and religion.
Music’s role as a communal activity led to slave songs. They offered a brief escape from the brutalities of slavery.
Black communities blended African and European cultures. Yet, new patterns emerged in African American culture. Some Black folk musicians still liked old performance practices, habits, and instruments. They also shaped music to fit their needs in a unique, African-rooted environment.
The blended cultures created what would become a melting pot of American music!
The Beginnings of Popular Music
The first famous American music was the singing of New England choirs—And traveling experts like William Billings.
The Great Awakening of the 1730s and ’40s was a time of religious fervor. Among both whites and Black people, both free and enslaved. It led to a rise in the popularity of evangelical “Negro spirituals.”
Spirituals remained hidden from public awareness throughout the 19th century but inspired comic songs. Minstrels in blackface performed them, and legendary songwriters like Stephen Foster and Daniel Emmett wrote them.
Popular ballads were standard during the Civil War. North and South drew deeply from a patriotic song heritage.
At the end of the century, the African American cakewalk evolved into ragtime, which became a hit in North America and Europe. Meanwhile, brass band marches captivated mainstream America.
The early 20th century saw the rise of famous comic musical theater, jazz, and blues. These related genres began flourishing in Memphis, Chicago, and New Orleans. They started to attract some mainstream audiences.
Blues and jazz were the foundation of what became American popular music.
American music has a rich, diverse history. It has produced some of the world’s most influential music.
If you love blues, rock, hip-hop, R&B, or jazz, you should know that many of these music genres originate in the U.S.
It’s vital to understand the importance of music in American culture.
History of American Music
The music in their videos may be from something other than the original performers, especially for the early stuff.
Yet, they are respective and valid members of the musical forms they stand for. Some early records of these forms began at the end of the decade. They try to embody the decade in which they belong. Enjoy!
The Characteristics of Music in the United States
U.S. music reflects its multi-ethnic population. It has many styles.
The most famous music genres are jazz, blues, gospel, country, bluegrass, rock, R&B, soul, ragtime, hip hop. Barbershop, pop, experimental, techno, house, dance, boogaloo, salsa, and rock and roll.
The U.S. has the world’s largest music market. People worldwide listen to its music.
U.S. music has syncopation, uneven rhythms, and long, irregular melodies. It often embodies the vast American landscape and a sense of freedom in American life.
Some unique aspects of American music come from Africa. They include the call-and-response format and some instruments.
Social Identity
Music is a part of American identity. It includes social class, race, ethnicity, geography, religion, language, gender, and sexuality.
Music’s link to race is the top factor in its meaning in the U.S.
A constant theme in U.S. music history is the rise of African American musical identity. It arises from distinct African and European sources.
More documentation of colonial-era African American music needed to be made. It blended West African and European styles, songs, and instruments. This mix came from the melting pot of slavery.
African American musical styles became crucial for American pop music. Blues, jazz, rhythm, and blues led to rock and roll, soul, and hip-hop. African Americans created all these styles, which became popular across racial lines.
Economic and social classes separate American music. Creating and consuming music do this. For example, upper-class patrons support symphony-goers. The poor perform rural and ethnic folk music.
Musical divisions based on class are not absolute, yet they are sometimes seen as real. For example, American country music is a commercial genre. It aims to appeal to a working-class identity, whether its listeners are working-class or not.
Country music is strongly connected to geographic identity. It is, by nature, rural. People consider urban music genres such as R&B and hip-hop.
The process of transplanting music between cultures is not without criticism. Cultural appropriation is a critical issue in U.S. race relations.
Since the mid-1800s, white Americans have often used African American music in popular songs, borrowing its techniques, images, and ideas. This includes the songs of Stephen Foster and the rise of minstrel shows.
The American music industry has tried promoting white African American music performers. They are more pleasing to mainstream, middle-class Americans.
This process has linked the rise of stars like Benny Goodman, Eminem, and Elvis Presley and the birth of blue-eyed soul and rockabilly genres.
It is high time the United States of America gave honor where honor is due. The U.S. would have no distinct music without African Americans and their ancestors. Not to knock the validity of other diverse cultural practices. But one cannot ignore the obvious!
Back to the Interview…
David Marches asked Q, “If you could snap your fingers and fix one problem in the country, what would it be?”
Q’s response…
“Racism. I’ve been watching it for a long time —the ’30s to now. We’ve come a long way but have a long way to go. You have always known where you stand in the chaos of the South. The racism in the disguise is covering the North. You never know where you stand. That’s why what is happening now is good because people are saying they are racists who didn’t use to say so. Now we know.“
In Conclusion…
Racism is one of the dumbest, most inconvenient inventions in America. But its origins are fascinating!
As I pondered Q’s words in this interview, it was vital for me to know, as a singer/musician, where it all comes from.
One of America’s greatest gifts is the Africans and their descendants. Their music, rhythms, styles, and melodies are from them.
We could argue this reality, but let’s face it, there is no need. You are welcome to leave your comments in the section below!
To learn about the origins of music in America, read two books. Tunesmith by Jimmy Webb and The Music of Black Americans by Eileen Southern.
This article is dedicated to African Americans and Black heritage. We should acknowledge Black people’s contributions to American music and celebrate Black excellence.
As we reflect on Black music’s rich U.S. history this Black History Month, we see its transformative impact. Black musicians have rendered crucial contributions. Their creativity, resilience, and innovation have shaped American music.
They’ve also influenced social movements and cultural trends. By celebrating these artists and their legacies, we honor their impact. We ensure their stories will inspire future generations. What other hidden gems does Black music history hold that are waiting to be discovered?
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This article beautifully highlights the incredible legacy of Black music in America. It’s amazing how Black musicians have shaped not only American culture but the entire world, from spirituals to hip-hop. I love how you tied in the story of Quincy Jones. He really embodies the power of understanding music’s roots. It’s also fascinating to see how deeply intertwined music and history are, especially with connections like Juneteenth and the evolution of genres. Celebrating Black music is essential because it’s more than entertainment. It’s a reflection of resilience, creativity, and the human spirit. Thanks for this thoughtful exploration!
Hi Kavitha,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and heartfelt comment! Your words deeply moved me. You’re right—Black music reflects resilience, creativity, and the human spirit and has profoundly shaped American culture and the global musical landscape.
I’m glad you connected with the story of Quincy Jones. He embodies the power of understanding where music comes from, and his legacy is a beautiful example of how knowing our roots can propel us forward. Juneteenth and the evolution of Black music are woven together in powerful ways. I think celebrating that legacy keeps the stories and struggles of the past alive while inspiring future generations.
Thank you for taking the time to share your appreciation, Kavitha. Readers like you keep these conversations alive and thriving!
Warmly, Jamie