How Black Musicians Impacted Music Genres đ€
Written by: Caroline Walters
Without Black musicians and inventors, we wouldnât have most of the genres of music that we have today. From the invention of the guitar to the genre of hip-hop, most of our favorite things were invented by Black people! In honor of Black History Month, we wanted to use this weekâs blog to discuss some of the people who helped further music!
One of the most obvious contributions is the invention of jazz music coming from New Orleans in the late 19th century. Brass bands were incredibly popular back then, and since some musicians couldnât sight-read music, they became fond of improvising and playing what they felt would work best! It deviated from the blues genre because jazz was more upbeat and had a faster melody. It was also originally spelled âjass.â Some of the most notable jazz musicians include Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. đș
A genre that most people donât immediately attribute the creation of to Black people is country music. The genre dates back to the origination of slave spiritual music and field songs they would sing while working, and the country music that we know today follows the same narrative and storytelling style. Country music was originally very banjo-based since the banjo was a version of the West African lute that was brought over. Now, country music is being brought back to its roots by artists such as Brittney Spencer and Breland. đȘ
Rock ânâ roll was made into its own distinct genre in the late 1930s and early 1940s by a woman now known as the godmother of rock ânâ roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Tharpe originated the genre of pop gospel and loved the electric guitar, and her consistent use of electric guitar over anything else was absolutely foundational to the creation of rock! She was a queer black woman and is the main reason that rock ânâ roll exists in the way we know it today, inspiring artists such as Elvis and Johnny Cash. đ€
Itâs no surprise that hip-hop was invented by a Black man, but did you know it