history
Iconic moments in music history.
THE BOOM OF HIP HOP CULTURE IN WEST COAST
In a nut shell, Since hip hop’s origins during the mid-1970s it has grown from a localized urban arts pastime to a multi-billion dollars a year industry. Its effects have spread from the urban streets to classrooms and boardrooms. The impoverished youths of African and Latin ancestry that once comprised the entire cast and audience of this subculture are now amid a rainbow of economic, generational, and ethnic diversity. How did a subculture that was, in large part, the most overlooked and unappreciated segment of society become powerful enough to dominate a large segment of modern popular culture?
By Union Recordings3 years ago in Beat
Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues. Top Story - March 2021.
The Jazz Age Jazz music and dance styles became highly popular across America during the 1920s and 1930s, now known as the Jazz Age. America is the birthplace of jazz, and the Jazz Age was a fantastic period that gave rise to many famous singers and musicians performing in that genre.
By Terry Mansfield3 years ago in Beat
Music Genealogy . Top Story - March 2021.
Spectrum City is a music genealogy project that attempts to trace the ancestral influences of modern popular music. Music follows the same Darwinian principles as life. Natural selection ensures successful mutations are replicated and thrive, whereas sonically flawed mutations become extinct after a few generations.
By Ricky Chopra3 years ago in Beat
Against All Odds
Black History Month is here again, and it opens many conversations on just how America has fared in stamping out racism from its society. A year ago today, Ahmaud Aubrey, while jogging through Brunswick, Ga.-area neighborhood, was chased and gunned down by a white man named Travis
By Queenie Reigns3 years ago in Beat
What are words for?
There has been and always will be different opinions, views on music. World War II hits like Don Ray’s “Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar” never created the level of controversy, like the 60’s hit “Louie, Louie”, a song about a Jamaican sailor, would make its mark in music history, become of the most recorded songs in music history, incite the anger of parents, cross paths with a future President of the United States, and become the center point in a 21 month federal investigation.
By Paul Herrera3 years ago in Beat
The Original Trailblazers
As someone who considers myself a lifelong student of American history, I've been ashamed to admit, even to myself - and especially in the last year - that I've been largely ignorant of how whitewashed my education has been. A glaring example of the gaping holes in my education is the fact that I had never even heard of Juneteenth until last year. Why had I not taken it upon myself sooner to learn all I could about Black history, a very significant part of American history?
By Jennifer Miller3 years ago in Beat
I'm Beginning to See the Light
When I was about sixteen years old I was trying to work up the courage to sing. I was extremely self-conscious about my voice and felt like I had absolutely no talent. However, I eventually made the decision to see my high school music teacher and discuss the possibility of voice lessons. When I started practicing with her, my voice sounded small and weak, due to fear of performing in front of others. Overtime, I slowly began to grow more comfortable. And that is when I was introduced to Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song.”
By Brandon Vermeer3 years ago in Beat
Tina Turner, formerly known as Anna Mae Bullock
I admire her accomplishments as well as her strength, as she faced many hard challenges throughout her life. As I continued to read about her life, I found some similarities to the things I had experienced in my life. Because of these similarities, I felt I could really relate to her.
By Lori Douglas3 years ago in Beat