Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due:

Actresse Loretta Young has been credited with obseving that “giving credit where credit is due is a very rewarding habit to form.” Many of the conveniences that we enjoy we’re developed by individuals who remain unknown when they might otherwise have served as role models. The first computers, for example, were developed and run by women. Flash technology (the tech that makes websites like YouTube possible) was developed by a woman. Many such tech developments are enjoyed in our daily routine without little knowledge about the individuals who developed them. Who developed scanner technology that allows us to take advantage of self-checkout options at our grocery store? Who developed the USB interface resulting in the convenience of thumb drives? Who developed fiber optics?

Too often are our heroes and role models unsung. And by proportion, far too often are women, black women, not held as role models for our society to celebrate. We ought to do better for our younger folks, particularly for young black girls who might aspire to achieve something beyond those opportunities that are afforded to them by our social narrative.

I have therefore endeavored to create this list of black women who excelled in the field of music, and whom we might not have celebrated heretofore. Moreover, the women who inhabit this list (some who are famous; some who are not) are women who, in my opinion, we ought to celebrate more often and more ubiquitously. I, therefore, encourage you, dear reader, to celebrate these women with those whom you hold most dear, and to share their achievements with your sons, daughters, nephews, and nieces.

Billie Holiday might be the most recognizable name on this list. She is (not was) a jazz icon. But what makes her remarkable is her courage. She spoke out against racism at a time when speaking out was openly dangerous. As unfathomable as it may seem now, Ms Holiday spoke out at a time when it was simply expected that she would receive heavy backlash, retaliation, and, quite likely, would be the recipient of racist death threats or physical attacks. It was to be expected. And yet, she recorded a song that ought to recognized (if, in fact, it is not) as one of the earliest civil rights songs recorded.

Though it was written as poem by a white Jewish man in New York in horrified response to a photograph that captured a public lynching, it was Billie Holiday’s voice that breathed life into this haunting piece of music. Challenging though it was to get any record label at the time to record and publish the song, finally, in 1939, “Strange Fruit” was recorded and distributed. Though the song is replete with lyrics that evoke images like something out of a Clive Barker novel, Billie Holiday’s voice and phrasing have brought many listeners to tears. Lamentably, this song remains relevant today, nearly one-hundred years later.

Billie Holiday - “Strange Fruit”

It is ironic that one of the most iconic rock songs made famous by a white male singer was originally recorded by a black woman. It is also ironic that white men tend to celebrate the original recording, as is briefly depicted in the film A Few Good Men, starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise. Many of us know that Elvis Presley never wrote his own songs (though he was given co-writing credit on a few of them). Far fewer among us know who actually did. And fewer still among us know who originally recorded one of his biggest hits. Thankfully, Big Mama Thornton is celebrated by those who have developed a love for rock music. And her influence is gradually becoming more and more well-known and celebrated.

However, while some of us may know that Big Mama’s recording is (not was) the original, I am tempted to ask how many of us have enjoyed the original 1952 recording of Hound Dog? I would add that, according to some rock music historians, the birth of rock and roll is often marked by the birth of the song “Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley in 1954. There are some of us who disagree with the birth selected by such historians. While Big Mama’s original Hound Dog may not be the first rock song recorded, it certainly pre-dates the white men who are usually crowned with pioneering it. If you have never heard the original, I implore you, dear reader, to take a couple minutes and enjoy Big Mama’s raw, powerful, and purely rock n roll voice, and to celebrate this black woman in her rightful place as highly influential in rock n roll history.

Big Mama Thornton - “Hound Dog” 1952 (the original)

In the world of guitar, guitarists, and guitar technique, there is never ending debate over who is the best, who is the most influential, and who is the most underrated. Debate is intense. Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, and Robert Johnson are a few of the guitar gods who are often cited as the best or most influential. And rightly so. But there are a fair number of guitarists who remain obscure figures occupying the shadows on the outskirts of the six-string pantheon. Sadly, one guitarist is almost never mentioned; she is, in fact, excluded from most guitar mythologies.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is known to those few who have an insight as the mother of rock n roll. She was active in the 1930s, helped pioneer rock n roll, acquired guitar technique that qualifiers her as a “shredder” during her time which lasted well into the 60’s. Sister Tharpe was around before Hendrix, Van Halen, Clapton, and most of the other celebrated guitar legends, though she is seldom celebrated, and her guitar solos remain little more than a footnote in the history of rock, even though Elvis, Johnny Cash, Dillon, and Clapton cite Sister Rosetta Tharpe as an early rock n roll influence. Indeed, she has all but fallen into total oblivion. And that is unjust. Sister Tharpe made the Gibson SG famous before Angus Young of AC/DC was actively playing. Not only is Sister Rosetta Tharpe and important role model for young black girls who might be interested in guitar, but she is a role model for women who want to rock out with a six-string. She is a woman who should be celebrated and more widely recognized for being one of rock n roll’s first guitar virtuosos. Eddie Van Halen took guitar to new places, it’s true. But it’s also important to place Sister Tharpe among the guitarists of her time. And when we compare her playing to that of her contemporaries, it becomes clear that Sister Tharpe was ahead of her time. Once again, dear reader, I implore you to share Sister Tharpe with those who need a black female guitarist as a role-model.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Various Guitar Solos

There are a remarkable number of of black women in hip-hop right now. This is exciting. Seldom to women make substantive inroads into genres of entertainment that are typically dominated by men (sadly). It is, therefore, important when women make waves and contribute to the canon of music that exists.

It is important, however, that we not only NOT forget the black women who pioneered a female space in hip-hop, but that we celebrate it, and celebrate it often. Two women in particular should, again, be placed in the eyes of young black girls as an example of what is possible: Sha Rock and Lisa Lee. Technically, Sha Rock preceded Lisa Lee by a couple years, but they both are (not were) pioneers of early rap. This is significant because girls (and young men) should be aware that women were present and contributed to the development of hip-hop/rap from the very beginning.

Sha Rock

I don’t have much to say about Etta James, as she is fairly well celebrated. However, I do wish to draw attention to one of her later recordings. Her Blues To The Bone album is unique in that the sound is very deep-hurt blues. It is haunting in a style that is seldom exemplified by female blues singers. The song Crawlin’ Kingsnake is particularly unique. I offer this song as an example of style that is not often made available to female singers. I’m very glad that Etta James proves with this album that the “swamp blues” sound is just as successful with a female voice.

Etta James - “Crawlin’ Kingsnake”

Lastly, I hope to introduce a contemporary black woman who is finding success in country music. Rhiannon Giddens plays banjo and sings those old folk songs, sometimes referred to as hillbilly music, and she does so convincingly. She was recently featured in a documentary-series by Ken Burns titled Country Music. In it she discusses the history of country music and expresses how African Americans are integral to the development of American Country music, particularly since the banjo is an African instrument.

I have included two videos of Ms Giddens: the first features her discussing the history of black Americans in country and folk music. The second features her in a live performance. I, once again, cannot express too emphatically how important it is that young people, especially young black girls and women, actually SEE performers such as Rhiannon Giddens excelling at a genre of music that is not pre-written in the social narrative. I therefore, once again, ask you, dear reader, to share Ms Giddens with those whom you hold dear.

Rhiannon Giddens - Country Musician/Singer & Historian

Having black female bodies, faces, and voices placed squarely in our gaze is extremely important. It teaches all of us that the real world is wide and varied. It shows us that the narrative which our society constructs not only excludes black women, it relegates our black females to limited set of possibilities; and, that the narrative is patently false. Most of all, it shows young black girls that the world of possibilities is indeed open to them, and that they should never let the social narrative hold them back.