Black Women in Music

My Name

When meeting someone for the first time, I often introduce myself as, “Dionne, like Warwick, without the voice!” This greeting is usually met with a smile or a chuckle or a shared memory of one of Ms. Warwick’s greatest hits. A belted rendition of Do You Know the Way to San Jose or Walk on By often follows as we giggle with the awareness of shared interest. On many occasions, the other person and I will swap stories. This bonding moment offers me an opportunity to share how I was named for my Mother’s favorite singer Dionne Warwick and grew up listening and singing along to all her greatest tunes. By the end of the exchange, I usually know a little about them and they too learn a little about me. I walk away from the encounter delighted in knowing that “black girl magic” is alive, real, and exist!

Black Women have always held the ability to heal and unite any divides. Along with many secrets and mysteries of the Black Women, their music has always been a guiding source of strength and wisdom for all. Whether the nurturing hum of a mother’s lullaby or the whispering call to Wade in the Water for freedom, the Black Woman has cultivated a continuum of love through the calming and seducing vibrations of her voice. Being named for a Black Woman in Music, whose voice can bring together two uncommon strangers into commonality, is a gift I utilize with honor. It is within the rhythm and melodic memories of the timeless music, on which I was born and bred, that there is an opportunity for an exchange of love.

My Story

My story of how Black Women in music influenced me is personal and deeply rooted. The influence of Black Women in music has always been a part of my life. The connection for me, began with my Mom. My earliest memories of rhythm and sound was as a baby. I can recall the times when I would lay on my Mother’s belly, face down, with my arms surrounding her fullness and my ear pressed against her heart. I would listen to the vibration and the melodic rhythm of her voice. I would feel into the rise and fall of her belly that came from her laughter. The calm steady beat of her heart would hold me and rock me in a harmony that would forever remind me of home. Music has always been my connection to the strength of the Black Woman. My anchor. The thing that would keep me in time, keep me in rhythm, keep me in balance with all things, in all ways, throughout my life.

I grew up under the guidance of many Strong Black Women. I was raised by a single mother of four who lives and breathes the pure personification of Love in all her manifestations. I have four protective and nurturing Aunties on my Mother’s side, four measured and motivating Aunties on my Father’s side, a bold God-Mother, a kind-hearted Stepmother, and resting peacefully, my Grandmother Queen Esther Scott. She was a powerhouse, “I wish you would”, no nonsense kind of Grandmother from whom I learned courage. I have a posse of warrior Sisters by my side and one blood of my blood Sister attached at my heart. When I think of all that binds us, connects us, infuses us with the strength, power, determination, and resilience we all exude, my heart and attention points to the golden thread that weaves us together as One. Music!

I never knew my Mother’s Mother Anna Loretta Copeland. I can remember the stories of her having a voice like no other. My aunties would share stories of her “wild” days. She would take the money given to her from her Father for traditional voice lessons and sneak off to New York City to sing and dance at the Cotton Club. Rebelling against expectations and norms, she had a musical gift that could not be denied! I would hear family stories connected to the musical legend from my hometown of Yonkers, NY, Ms. Ella Fitzgerald. As the story goes, Ella and my Grandma Anna were close friends with dreams of leaving their musical mark on the world together.

My Grandmother Anna passed when my mother was only 4 years old. She never got the chance to live out her musical ambitions. In the late nineties, the first ever sculpture of a contemporary African-American Woman to be commissioned by a municipality, “The First Lady of Jazz”, was erected in honor of Ms. Ella Fitzgerald and now stands in my very own hometown of Yonkers. Magic! It was created by another inspired and inspiring Black Woman, also originally from my hometown, Ms. Vinnie Bagwell. While I never had an opportunity of physically knowing my Grandmother, her legacy is with me and bound to me through the legacy of Ms. Ella Fitzgerald and her music. In this weaving and unwavering connectedness, lay the strength and the mystery of the Black Woman.

I recall fun filled memories in my youth when my mom and her sisters would put on shows in the living room of our 12th floor apartment. The kitchen broom served as microphone swapped amongst them as, one after the other, they would take turns belting the lead to songs like Stop in the Name of Love by The Supremes, or Please Mr. Postman by the Marvelettes. I would look on with fascination and excitement, dazzled by their renditions, and bathed in their laughter as I learned about love.

As I got older, I discovered my own musical influences to carry me along my journey. I attended my first Broadway show at age 12 with my Brownies Troop. I got to watch 12-year-old, Tisha Campbell, debut as lead actress and singer in the hit play I’m Really Rosie. My Troop and I got to meet her after and I even got her autograph! She was a young black girl same age as me. She gave me hope to dream.

I became interested in movies like Lady Sings the Blues which told the story of a phenomenal Black Woman in music, Ms. Billie Holiday. Her songs like Strange Fruit shared the essence of pain and struggle. I watched The Josephine Baker Story which told of a Black Woman’s journey that was daring, bold, and inspiring. These women showed me how to transcend hope and gave me permission to dare!

Then, there was Janet Jackson who was my idol! My poor sisters!!! I would make them watch on as I preformed all her fancy dance moves and sang along to songs like Pleasure Principle and Control. We still laugh at those days! As life turned and experiences deepened, so did my music. Mary J Blige moved me through fierce dance floor battles to Real Love on the NYC club scene to, Not Gon’ Cry, crying all night long in my bedroom. Spiritual inspiration came through the music of artist like Amel Larrieux, Dionne Ferris, Dianne Reeves and Cree Summer. These ladies helped me become self-aware and find my true identity. Artist like Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Erika Badu, Jhane’, Floetry, and India Arie offered a different type of vibe. These women helped me connect with my soul.

My Connection

Black Women in Music have always played an intricate part in the continuance of Black culture, Black remembrance, and Black Love. I most recently discovered the music of the graceful yet bodacious Ms. Nina Simone. I did not know of her in my youth. I do not recall her music being played on the radio. But, when I first heard her voice, her rhythm, her soul, it transcended time and took me right back to the days of resting in the embrace of my Mother’s belly when the world and rhythm and love were one. Songs like Four Women offer a dimensional view of the experience of the Black Women. Nina’s music has the timeless ability to bridge together the struggles of a long, dark, deep, past saturated in the pain and suffrage of our people and carry us over to the triumphs and the victories of our might and determination!

As a Black Woman born, named, and raised on the influence of Black Women in Music, I pause with honor and Salute all the Legendary Black Woman in Music who have contributed to my personal journey. Their contributions in my life provide a portal of continuation through me as I greet others with the love, the laughter, the joys, and the tears all these wonderful women have given to me in the sharing of their divine gifts. When I introduce myself as, “Dionne, like Warwick, without the voice”, I am inviting a person into my story, into my rhythm, to share in an exchange of love. My name pays tribute to the influence of Black Women in Music. When I greet you with singing, I Say a Little Prayer for You, I am offering to you, a genuine part of myself. As the late great Ms. Whitney Houston once sang, it is the Greatest Love of All!