Americans are often unaware that many of the most popular music genres in the U.S. were created by Black people long before such genres reached the popularity they’re at today with predominantly white audiences.
Country, rock ’n’ roll, and house are among some of the music genres first introduced by the Black community.
Country music’s origins date as far back as the 17th century on slave ships, according to an Aug. 2, 2019 Washington Post article. The article states how Africans were forced to bring instruments to entertain their captors after being kidnapped from their homes.
The banjo, an instrument most commonly associated with rural and southern American culture, was derived from the akonting according to the same article.
The akonting came from the Senegambian region in West Africa, home to the Jola ethnic group.
Once country music gained traction in the early 1900s, record labels began to segregate its listeners, according to a Sept. 11, 2019 TIME Magazine article.
The labels did this by separating categories of music created by Black people with the thought that listeners chose musical interests based on race. Record labels deemed country music created by white people as “hillbilly records”, while similar music created by Black people were referred to as “race records.”
Even when there were contributions from Black artists on hillbilly records, many of these artists were not credited for their work or were replaced by white musicians when the song was marketed to the public, according to the same TIME Magazine article.
Another genre that can be credited to the creativity of Black people is house and techno music, which resides under the umbrella of EDM.
House music’s origin can be traced back to late 1970s Chicago, where primarily queer Black people held parties as safe spaces for open expression of themselves and their sexualities, according to a June 14, 2018 Billboard article.
The same article mentions how DJs would implement kick drums over soul music samples into uptempo instrumentals that were at the fast tempo of 120-130 beats per minute.
A Complex Magazine article called “A Brief History of House Music” also attributed the basements of 1970s Manhattan upper west side as the genre’s birthplace.
This came shortly after 1969’s Stonewall Riots, a series of demonstrations led by the LGBTQ+ community after police raided a gay club in the Greenwich Village in NYC.
Rock ’n’roll also originated from Black artists and more specifically, the blues genre.
Similar to country music, rock ’n’roll was originally labeled as “race music” due to it being created by Black creatives. The genre began slowly growing in popularity in the 1950s among white audiences according to the book “Crossing Over: From Black Rhythm & Blues to White Rock & Roll” by Reebee Garofalo.
Famously nicknamed the “King of rock ’n’ roll,” Elvis Presley was among many white artists who covered songs originally created by Black musicians.
One of his biggest hits “Hound Dog” was originally conceived by Big Mama Thornton, a Black rhythm and blues singer-songwriter from Alabama.
In addition to being discredited for the widespread popularity of many kinds of music, Black musicians also lacked agency with their careers.
Black musicians were rarely given the resources to negotiate record contracts, royalty payments, marketing, promotion or career development.
This caused them to be severely underpaid for record sales and publishing.
Garofalo’s book said the new technology of the 1940s assisted in the suppression that held back Black music and musicians from reaching their deserved popularity and monetary gain.
The arrival of 45rpm and 33rpm records required different playback equipment and outdated the 78rpm records that were being used prior.
RPMs, or revolutions per minute, dictated the amount of time that could be played on one side of a record. With the introduction of 33rpm records, listeners could hear entire albums with one record.
The lack of resources and money in the Black community also made it difficult for Black people to pay for the new equipment necessary to listen to these records.
In the genres of country, house, and rock ’n’ roll, many factors played a role in casting Black musicians aside, whether it was ignored history, discredit, or lack of resources.
While it can be said that music is a language for all, and is one of the many glues of American society, it is also important to recognize the Black pioneers of music genres that provide these commonalities between strangers.
The contributions and inventions of Black creatives and artists, who have been marginalized since America’s conception, are deep-rooted in many genres of music and is history that cannot or should not ever be ignored.
