How Did African American's Music Influence The Civil Rights Movement

Sam Cooke was one of the most important soul singers in history -- he was the inventor of soul music. Cooke was one of the most popular performers in both the black and white communities. He was also among the first modern black performers and composers to venture into the business side of the music business, when he founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as an addition to being a singer and composer. Like many artist before him Cooke tackled issues including the struggle over civil rights. Some may even say the intensity of which followed an arc that paralleled Cooke's emergence as a star -- his own career bridged gaps between black and white audiences that few had tried to surmount, much less

The 1950’s -1960’s was a tough time for African Americans. Struggling for freedom since the 19th century, they were finally closer to getting what they deserved. Alice walker’s short story, “Everyday use,” describes the different stances blacks had during that decade.

By converting his musical genre to pop and R&B, Cooke was successful in targeting a much vaster, diverse audience. After completing this transition of musical style, his national fame proceeded immediately with #1 hit after #1 hit. Cooke made strides in his goals of integration by making sure that his shows had both white and black audiences; He refused to perform separately for each crowd. At the height of his music career, Cooke was signed with RCA records, where he was second in sales to none other than Elvis Presley. Throughout his rise to the stardom, Cooke’s most influential year was the year of 1964. This year marks his successful 2nd try at the Copacabana club, a predominantly white, affluent, based in New York City, where only the best of the best perform. It was after this spectacular performance where the shift in Cooke’s audience became most evident; whites were now a huge part of Cooke’s fan-base. This was also the year that Cooke became an important member of the civil rights movement, prompting him to release the most influential song of his career. This song, “A Change is Gonna Come”, is undeniably recognized as the staple of the civil rights movement. This gripping,

Berry Gordy is a man of significant influence, past and present. Gordy was a man of many talents. Songwriter, producer and business figure, innovator, entrepreneur. Whilst many names come to mind there are some key factors of the entertainment era to be discussed. While the social and cultural impacts through the 1950s - 1960s were limited to a split culture divide Gordy still took on new challenges to break the barriers within the socio economic world. While forging his way through failure and victories his management of an industry at large remained to both powerful and nurturing. Following the social normality at the time it was soon going to be an era of significance. The stereotype was slowing fading and soulful African American music was becoming a global trend for every culture not blinded by colour any longer.

Elvis Presley was best known for his integration of R&B and country music. The public was scared that not only Presley would integrate music but also the white and black community. Which was something he did actually achieve according to Little Richard “He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn’t let black music through. He opened the door for black music” (Elvis After 198). Parents were afraid of his music, considering it was said that he had a voice of a black man. He caused controversy, a white man singing black music on the radio.This controversy grew as Presley grew in

Throughout the 20th Century we observe Native Americans responding to the discrimination placed upon them by the American government. At the start of the century, many Native Ameri ans hesitantly went along with Anglo-American demands: moving onto reservations, relocating when necessary, and sending their children to boarding schools. They reluctantly adapted to the idea of assimilation. However during the 1930s and 40s many Natives began standing up for their culture and rights as citizens of the United States, protesting and forming organizations to get their problems heard by the only ones who could solve them: the American government. But the 1950s and 60s marked a change in the Native American social justice movement.

After reading or listening to the song, one might wonder if there were any allusions at all to the civil rights movement. These references are placed in the middle of the song and compared to the pop culture and commercial references; there are only a few of them. In the song Heron alludes to police brutality, Whitney Young, a prominent civil rights activist, and Roy Wilkens, the director of the NAACP at the time. In the allusions to the civil rights movement, there is a mixture of reality and fiction. In his allusion to police brutality, he uses the phrase “instant replay” (27-28).

“A Change Is Gonna Come” was released eleven days after Cooke’s death as a final farewell to his audiences that loved him. The song expresses the soul of the freedom movement as

All the pop, hip-hop, country, and most other genres are focused on making money from entertainment. They don’t try to convey an important message. The artists just try to make the songs catchy and fun to listen to, but the songs have now lessons to teach and they don’t try to tell the people what is going on and how they feel about it. Whereas back then they used music like Fortunate Sons by Creedence Clearwater Revival that talked about how their band didn’t like the Vietnam War and that it wasn’t the rich or the politicians’ sons going to war, but the common people going to war instead. Alabama by Coltrane was a Civil Rights movement protest song that talked about the oppression, violence, and injustice done to African Americans and was song while they were protesting.

The Nineteen Sixties were a time of grand turmoil in the United States. The nation almost came apart at the seams many times throughout the decade. The government was involved in a plethora of things at the time that the general population did not agree with. The most important was the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was the most publicly protested war in the history of the country. There were many new forms of protesting used at this time. The most mainstream and effective way of protest was through song. The lyrics of the songs of the sixties were laced with anti-government and anti-war messages that were sometimes hidden and sometimes direct. The generation responsible for the new music was the Baby Boomers. These were the

The 1950s and 1960s was a turbulent time of social change. During this era, the Civil Rights movement came to prominence as African Americans protested for equal rights, and challenged racial discrimination. These acts of civil disobedience and both nonviolent and violent protests brought to the forefront all of the inequalities that African Americans still faced. As all of this was going on, music was playing an important role in the movement and race relations. Specifically, jazz, a musical genre that in many way parallels the struggle of the Civil Rights movement.

A song that gained great popularity in the 1960s for its easy sounding beautiful melodies is Sam Cookes “A change is going to come” released in 1964. This song held the undertone of any classic Motown song of its time. However, this song contains a deeper critique on society during the 1960s-civil right movement and its meaning permeates till today as many issues have not been addressed by our society or our government. In the song Cooke begins “I was born by the river in a little tent And just like the river I've been running Ever since” (Same Cooke). As a black man in America the identity we have placed upon blacks has led to their oppression and feeling the need to run from society.

Louis Armstrong grew up in Louisiana in the early 1900’s in a time period when racial segregation was commonplace and even more strongly supported than in the 60s. He faced the adversity

With his soulful voice and good looks, Sam Cooke is a great example of a musician who used their music to support the Civil Right Movement. He uses a wide selection of various types of instruments to portray the different emotion the movement came with. One of his most legendary songs for the movement, released in 1964 was “A Change Is Gonna Come”. The song voices hardships that black men experienced in America during the 60’s. Being that Cooke grew up with little money he adds his own struggle in the song, hence the “born by the river in a little tent” he stays confident that change is gonna come. His song talks about how African-Americans are not able to enjoy normal everyday things like walking down the street or going to the movies without that constant fear over their shoulders of getting in trouble. One of the main meanings of this song according to musiqology.com is how blacks are

The year after Sam Cooke’s death his controversial song about the movement towards equality during the African American Civil Rights Movement, “A Change Is Gonna Come,” was released. Cooke was a popular musical artist from the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s who transitioned over from gospel music to R&B. He was born on January 22nd, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi to Reverend Charles Cook Sr. (a Baptist minister) and Annie May Cook. Although Cooke was born in Mississippi, he and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1933 where he was raised the rest of his childhood. After Cooke graduated high school he