Bb King Research Paper

Nevertheless, Phillips kept on putting out influential, black music. Despite the hardening Civil Rights movement in the 1950’s, songs by African American artists slowly became extremely popular. In 1958, the first black artist reached the top of the billboard hot 100. This marked the climax of Phillip’s goal to make popular music from an unpopular race. Sam Phillips’s persistence on creating popular black records and the equality protests go hand in hand. The exposure of the protests and music gave new

In “Inflation Blues”, his guitar solo sounded different form his others, more like a tonal change. Besides, King’s guitar playing, the pianist kept to the normal “skat” sound and the trumpeter and saxophonist were mainly in charge of the harmonies since King did not have any back up singers. Actually, one of the best harmonies between the two was in “There Must Be A Better World Somewhere” with the trumpet being just a key higher than the saxophone. Two songs that stood out from his others, was his rendition of “Love Me Tender” which was more of a ballad than a blues song and “Better Not Look Down”. “Love Me Tender” had a slow tempo and due to its style was one of the softest played songs which was different, on the other hand “Better Not Look Down” had a very upbeat feel, a crescendo after the third verse(third story), and a great bass solo. During the performance, one could tell that King really got into his performances. From his “ugly” singing to his interaction with the crowd, he was consistent in keeping the audience engaged and the audience seemed to be really enjoying

The impact that Ray Charles has had on American culture is nearly indescribable. Although unable to see, he was successful in making his artistic visions come to life by fusing the sounds of blues, gospel, jazz, and R&B, making him one of the leading soul artists of the 1950s. The legendary musician is recognized for being a pillar in the industry, credited with making strides in desegregating musical genres. Although he composed many of his early hits, Charles is considered to be an interpreter of music, offering his distinct personal vision of many classics. Over the course of his career, which spanned five decades, he recorded over 60 albums and sold millions of records worldwide.

The blues is home to many world famous artists such as Riley B. King, also known as B.B King, and McKinley Morganfield, also known as Muddy Waters. These artists were two very good examples of what the blues is meant to incorporate and their legacy has and will live long passed their deaths. B.B King is an American blue musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, born on September 16th, 1925 in Beclair, Mississippi. He is considered to be one of the most influential blues musicians of all times, giving him the nicknames “The King of the Blues” as

I watched a video from the 50th anniversary presentations. The video I watched was about Rock and Roll, Segregation, and The British Invasion of 1964. It was lectured by Dr. Christy Talbott, and she first talked about the pre rock and roll period. The term Rock and Roll came from a song from the year 1938, that stated “My baby rock and rolls me all night.” Rock and Roll or also known as American Rock, was changed completely after the British Invasion came in 1964. The invasion turned Rock and Roll into what is known today as Rock, it made a change for the good. Musicians in the pre Rock and Roll era, sang about current events similar as we do today. The events they sang about was Segregation, North Vs. South inferiority and the wars that were happening at the time World War 2, Korean War and Vietnam War. THe artists of this time consisted of The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ritchie Valens and the most famous of them all Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley’s music was called “White man with an African American feel.” In 1959 Motown records in Detroit, Michigan hired an all black group called “The Temptations.” Their song “My Girl” hit number one on the billboards in 1964. The man that hired them was Berry Gordy Jr. Berry Gordy Jr also hired all black women groups as well, but unlike the all black male groups he dressed the women groups as white folk.

Rock ‘N’ Roll was the opportunity for African-Americans to get rid of segregation. It was also their opportunity to make black culture mainstream. But since white dictates, they fear blacks as part of their culture. They would shun and exploit performers, bleached their music and promote white Rock ‘N’ Roll instead. Whites believed that black Rock ‘N’ Roll promoted delinquency and sexuality to the children thus wanting it ban. When Nat King Cole was being assaulted and boycotted by the white community, the African-American have lost hope of being free. But it was when “Fats” Domino appeared. He becomes the first black Rock ‘N’ Roll millionaire. Many blacks were proud of him as he was the representative of influencing American Society.

"King was born on April 24,1943 in Sacramento, California"(Busby). King had a diverse background as his mom was of German-Swiss descent and his father was a

BB King is undoubtedly one of the greatest blues musicians, and an equally unparalleled pioneer of guitar music. Brought up in the midst of poverty, strife, and struggle of the rural Mississippi Delta, King experienced great hardships from a young age, and used this as a source of inspiration for much of his later music (King & Ritz, 1996).

B.B. King or ‘The King of Blues’ was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi. His young parents unfortunately divorced, and his mother passed away when he was 9 years old which left him to be raised by his grandmother. King attended school until the 10th grade when he dropped out of school and started to work at a cotton gin near his hometown. Despite dropping out of school he continued to teach himself math and different languages well into his later life. He worked at the cotton gin earning a penny a pound and singing gospel music on street corners. His musical career started when he was studying under his cousin Bukka White. King met a woman and was married at 17 years old. “I guess I was looking for love, because I never had anybody I believed truly loved me” (B.B. King). The marriage quickly came to end when they got a divorce months later. “Since my early childhood, I had a problem trying to open up. Please open me up. Look inside!

Her first release “Downhearted Blues” was a huge success, and is known as her most popular song. With all of her success, Bessie was given the nickname “Empress of the Blues” and was Columbia’s saving grace from bankruptcy two times(Bio.com.) By the end of the 1920’s, Bessie’s career was at an all time high. She was the highest paid Black female singer of her time, and one of the few black artists to perform for white audiences. She was the first black woman to be broadcast live on local radio stations in Memphis and Atlanta(American History.com). She also collaborated with notable artists such as Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Fletcher Henderson, James P. Johnson, Joe Smith, and Charlie

The blues have deep roots embedded within American history—particularly that of African American history. The history of the blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th century and was created by slaves, ex-slaves, and descendants of slaves. They were created by individuals who endured great hardship while performing endless hours of arduous labor and blues served as a form of escapism. To these individuals, songs provided them with the strength to persevere through their struggles. Blues songs depicted individuals who persevered in the face of adversity. They were symbols of hope to those squandering in the depths of oppression. In relations to the blues, every song has a story behind it and within every story, there is something to be said. Blues artists, through their struggles, detail how they overcame hardship and laughed at the face of oppression. They defied the rules and in doing so, showed African Americans that they too are beacons of hope for the hopeless. The best blues is instinctive, cathartic, and intensely emotional. From irrepressible bliss to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion than that of the blues. Like many bluesmen of his day, Robert Johnson applied his craft as a lonely traveling musician on street corners and in juke joints. He was a lonely man whose songs romanticized that existence. With Johnson’s unique vocal style, haunting lyrics, and creative guitar techniques, Johnson’s innovation embodied the essence of

Before this he did produce songs, like Miss Martha King but they did not chart well. After agreeing to the contract, RPM records his career took a leap onto the main boards. After this stint with recording records and handing them over to RPM records king decided to make his own brand; the B.B king Review. This was under leadership of Millard lee. Kings band consisted of many other musicians, and these musicians king relied on heavily as he could not play cords well and heavily relied on improvisation. This made his music very unique and different, promoting his name amongst the blues

As a young boy, Marquise grew up in a bad neighborhood as a African American male. Marquise grew up mentoring the great Blues artist. He learned under the late Henry James Townsend and B.B. King. He released his first album when he was 16 years old. He was part of the Blues and African American culture from a young age.

     The Blues musical move was prominent during the 1920s and '30s, a time known as the Harlem Renaissance. Blues music characteristically told the story of

Rhythm and blues, also known today as “R & B”, has been one of the most influential genres of music within the African American Culture, and has evolved over many decades in style and sound. Emerging in the late 1940's rhythm and blues, sometimes called jump blues, became dominant black popular music during and after WWII. Rhythm and blues artists often sung about love, relationships, life troubles, and sometimes focused on segregation and race struggles. Rhythm and blues helped embody what was unique about black American culture and validate it as something distinctive and valuable.