Rock N Roll Impact On American Culture

I watched the premier of Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll when it debuted on PBS February 26 during Black History month in honor of Domino’s 88th birthday. As much as I have always enjoyed the genre, I had never actually heard of Domino--a man Elvis Presley once referred to as “the king of Rock ‘n’ Roll”--before switching the channel to PBS while at the hotel on our Honors class trip. One person featured in the film stated that, “People don’t really credit Rock ‘n’ Roll with ending segregation, but in a way it did”. I chose to review this movie because I found it very informative and interesting, and because I wanted to learn more about this claim regarding music and integration.

This exploitation minimized the value of the singers, as they seemed easily replaceable as long as the next one could sing the same old song and make it a hit on the charts. Despite good integrationist intentions, the music in this industry was a result of the commoditization of black culture, further complicating the relationship between the music and the Civil Rights Movement. Listeners would receive glamorous snapshots of life as a black American, and not garner the complexity of the issues that existed. On the other hand, using this frame of a neatly packaged life made white audiences more receptive of black music, allowing them to ease themselves into the idea of

“Unfortunately, the history of black music has been a continuous one of whites’ lucrative expropriation of black cultural forms” (Kelley). “Black music has become a part of a structure of stealing” (Kelley) on the part of a white-dominated music industry. This structure began primarily during the jazz era of the 1920’s. Black jazz artists were exploited for their talent, without being given the full credit or compensation for their work that they deserved. Furthermore, their music and style was copied and credited to white artists, and the few black artists who were able to succeed in the industry were submitted to a form of musical segregation via race records.

There are many key contributing factors to the Civil Rights Movement which have been thoroughly covered however, the influence of music seems to be an aspect that is far less developed. In order to assess just how significant music really was it is crucial to analyse its widespread significance, the nature of its appeal and key role models that contributed to its involvement within the Civil Rights Movement during the period 1962-1969, in order to detect just how influential it really was. Music is an expression of emotion so it is fair to say that music may have made a contribution to the Civil Rights Movement notably in the duration of 1962-1968 as the Civil Rights Movement proved to be at its highest peak especially following the March on Washington 1963[1]. A time when emotions were running high and the African American people needed an outlet for their emotion, music was there to meet their needs. It inspired the people to have the courage to make a stand against the discrimination placed upon them from a society dictated by whites.

When people think of African American music it is most commonly associated with rap and R&B. However, most do not know that the influence of their music runs much deeper in the American history. As slaves were brought over, their music changed the styles and evolved much of the music that is heard today. From soul to blues, to even the overall-wearing hillbilly sitting on the porch playing his banjo, they were

Race has had a very interesting effect on American popular music. In many respects I believe the creativeness of black Americans although tortured has in the end created many opportunities for Black Americans to move out of the shadow of slavery and racism. Music has allowed the mainstream white American to experience their culture and creativeness, allowed Americans to be exposed to them and either accept them or deny them. In many cases Americans denied them, but the ones that did eventually created societal change that allowed the black American’s and white American’s who accepted them to move beyond the narrow minded deniers. We can give example after example of this. Jazz was epitomized by many conservative Americans as music of the

At the beginning of seventeenth century, many Africans were captured and brought to America, they were forced to separate from their family, moving to a new continent with no kin around. What’s worse, they were even sold into slave with cheap price, and suffered in both physical and mental ways through the brutality action and harsh orders of the slave owner . At that time, music became one way for them to

The United States is a country which was formed by the hard work of the First Nations people, the British, and African Americans. Unfortunately, blacks were subjected to slavery. In the 1900’s blacks were becoming more discontented, thus began the emergence of the civil rights movement. Along with rallies and peaceful protests, music played a very important role in bringing change to a society where white supremacy reigned. In addition to their efforts, jazz and blues artists also contributed to the building of a strong America.

People from different African nations stolen, put on a boat and brought into a new world sold into slavery and oppression. Through being separated from family and dealing with the injustices in America, black people were able to create amongst each other, a culture which includes the arts, literature and music. Musical expression was very important and still is very important in times of need, support and protest. It helped slaves communicate in song across rivers and escape for their freedom and has inspired many artists today to speak about the injustices of the world from Billie Holiday to Tupac. These songs depicted in this essay conveys the struggles of the sociopolitical issues African American people fought and are still fighting

From Jim Crow to Eminem, white culture has been changed by black music. To be so influenced by the unlimited imaginative capacity of a race brought to America in chains sets up a fascinating irony got to America ties and Souled American, a longing and broad look at race relations as saw through the precious stone of music, examines that disjointedness valiantly with illuminating outcomes. Taking after a quick line from house field hollers to gangsta rap. Blacks and whites exist in an enduring draw of-war as they make, re-make, and claim every time of well-known music. The effect of African Americans on standard American music began in the nineteenth century, with the happening to blackface minstrelsy, and Ragtime performers got the chance to

Expression is imperative to the human condition and is the primary reason why music has managed to subside throughout the centuries in various forms. For many, music extends beyond rhythm and beat, and is a means of communicating one’s experiences and narrating those experiences to their comprehension of the world. For African Americans, music was a symbol of cultural identity and a way to translate the daily oppressions they were forced to endure. Insight and evidence into this is depicted widely throughout the Spirituals and the Blues, where the hardships of slavery and troubles associated with being African American are greatly expressed. While African American music has evolved and new genres have sprung into existence, differences in the ways that they communicate and express themselves have arisen. However, some aspects have remained similar and language usage has demonstrated a correlation between the two. The songs “Soon I Will Be Done” and “Trouble in Mind” demonstrate how use of language and concepts depicted within the Blues emits evidence to its emergence from the spirituals.

Music has been an integral part of America’s history, and a vital factor in how the American people have used it to change the world, as well as themselves. From the sorrow- filled cotton fields were gospel music was birthed from the mouths of slaves, to the roaring jazz bands of the Harlem Renaissance, into the amped up electrical guitars of modern day punk rock, music has shaped the nation. With so much rich history in the United States of America, we are left to wonder how so many incredible types of music came to be.

For oppressed minorities, especially African Americans, music has been a crucial mean of expression and resistance. These minorities can even be labeled as natural musicians. Now, what happens whenever their music gets appropriated by what is currently popular as entertainment? It is important to learn and understand about the roots of certain musical genres since they tell a story that not all of us nowadays are really aware of.

Soul music, or “Soul”,was adopted to describe African-American popular music as it evolved from the 1950s to the early 1970s. Although some people thought of “Soul” music as a new term for Rhythm and Blues, it was not. In fact, the “key ingredient in Soul music, and the element that defined it as a new style was the influence of gospel music.” (1)This style of music was a blend gospel music with the dance grooves of that era. However, Soul music during its heyday did more than simply entertain. During the 1950’s through the 1970 's, was also when the American Civil Rights Movement was coming to a head. Because of the that, it impacted the musical styles which reflected in the music and the culture of that era. So one would be correct in both assuming that the Civil Rights Movement helped to give rise to Soul music, as much Soul music contributed to the success of the campaign for civil rights. For a people in the African American community and for a people immersed in turmoil and tragedy, it served as a source of motivation, strength and education. The system of segregation had effectively inhibited the general populace’s awareness of the great achievements and contributions made by African-Americans throughout the history of the United States. In as much, the artists of Soul music sought to bring things that were normally left in darkness out and into the light for not only the nation but the world to see.

Throughout history, music has and will probably always be at the heart of almost every culture. The evolution of music can be compared right along with the evolution of man and the beliefs in his era. This idea is very apparent in the articles “Minstrelsy”, “Johnny Rebel and the Cajun Roots of Right-Wing Rock”, and “Black Women and Black Men in Hip Hop Music: Misogyny, Violence and the Negotiation of (White-Owned) Space.”