Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Books are my comfort food!

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

You are here: Home / Medium Cool / Medium Cool – Black Music Month!

Medium Cool – Black Music Month!

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Medium Cool is a weekly series related to popular culture, mostly film, TV, and books, with some music and games thrown in.  We hope it’s a welcome break from the anger, hate, and idiocy we see almost daily from the other side in the political sphere.

Arguments welcomed, opinions respected, fools un-suffered.  We’re here every Sunday at 7 pm.

Medium Cool – Black Music Month!

Tonight on Medium Cool, let’s celebrate Black Music Month!  (courtesy of President Joe Biden)

That one was stolen from TaMara in a comment thread.  I had never heard of these guys, but those voices, wow!

President Biden in his proclamation of Black Music Month  (excerpt)

During Black Music Month, we pay homage to legends of American music, who have composed the soundtrack of American life. Their creativity has given rise to distinctly American art forms that influence contemporary music worldwide and sing to the soul of the American experience.

Much of Black music is rooted in African rhythms, coupled with the experience of slavery and struggle in America. Barred from expressing themselves in their native tongues, enslaved people developed a language to articulate their hopes, dreams, sense of loss, and tenacity to overcome the harrowing nature of their lives. They used music to strategically and creatively voice their most deeply held feelings. Today, the creative ways that Black music tells stories of trial and triumph in American life continue to move us all to understand the common struggles of humanity. Spirituals, gospel, the blues, R&B, rock and roll, jazz, pop, rap, hip-hop, and more have molded American culture and given rise to new American art forms emulated around the globe.

This month, we celebrate the songs and artists that challenge us to think critically, stand up to injustice, and believe in ourselves. We recommit to expanding the promise of dignity and opportunity for all Americans. And we revel in the sounds, spirit, and soul of some of the very best music ever created.

Please commence sharing black music, and talking about it!

Reader Interactions

112Comments

  3. 3.

    Splitting Image

    I have a playlist made up of Here’s Little Richard, James Brown Live at the Apollo, Otis Blue, and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On.

    It’s a never-fail picker-upper for me.

  4. 4.

    Jeffro

    I grew up listening to Motown and “oldies” on our car radio (due to my RWNJ dad’s musical taste, go figure) and I love it, and my kids love it too.  Kim Weston’s “Take Me In Your Arms” is probably my favorite from that era.  =)

    The resurgence of what I’d call neo-R&B/soul, whatever, has been just awesome.  Great stuff, then and now!

  5. 5.

    Jeffro

    OT but as a PS: Betty, now that my Hoos are out of the college World Series, I’m rooting for your Gators!

  6. 6.

    RSA

    Spirituals, gospel, the blues, R&B, rock and roll, jazz, pop, rap, hip-hop, and more have molded American culture and given rise to new American art forms emulated around the globe.

    My two favorite broad genres of popular music, blues and rock, originated with Black musicians. When I try to think of American music genres whose history doesn’t start with a list of Black musicians, the only thing that comes to mind is bluegrass and to a lesser extent mainstream country music. (But I’m not an expert).  That’s an amazing amount of influence—I think an outsider might fairly say that to a first approximation American music is Black music.

  7. 7.

    Brachiator

    When did Black Music Month become a thing?

    I guess you could just talk about American popular culture and be talking about black music.

    The first pop music I listened to as a kid were old 78s of Little Richard (Lucille) and other rock and rhythm and blues artists.

    For some reason I always got a kick to the Canadian mounties in Searchin‘ by the Coasters. Maybe because I later connected it to the cartoon character Dudley Do right.

    I cannot imagine America without black music or black dance.

  9. 9.

    Jeffro

    @Brachiator:

    I guess you could just talk about American popular culture and be talking about black music…

    I cannot imagine America without black music or black dance.

    <<like>>

  10. 10.

    Steeplejack

    I was going to put this in the Father’s Day thread but thought it would go better here. Yesterday the SiriusXM channel The Groove did a countdown of dad songs, and I nailed it by predicting that No. 1 would be “Color Him Father” by the Winstons. Kind of shmaltzy but a good tune.

    And of course there was the Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and a couple from James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “Papa Don’t Take No Mess.”

  12. 12.

    Brachiator

    @Steeplejack:

    And of course there was the Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and a couple from James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “Papa Don’t Take No Mess.”

    Good choices for Father’s Day.

    There is also Song For My Father, by Leon Thomas. Lyrics by Horace Silver.

  13. 13.

    Mai Naem mobile

    So a music thread….so this has nothing to do with black music but they had Sylvia’s Mother by Dr Hook playing on the radio the other day and I have no idea why but the song always gets me laughing. The plaintive  “and the ohpurrator says one moooore minute” just cracks me up.  Pretty sure Dr. Hook was white.

  15. 15.

    Brachiator

    @WaterGirl:

    Biden declared it but, as noted, Jimmy Carter first inducted it.

    The month-long observance, which was first inducted on June 7, 1979, by President Jimmy Carter was christened as Black Music Month. President Barack Obama renamed the national observance as African-American Music Appreciation Month.

    Black Music Month is more pithy.

  17. 17.

    Raoul Paste

    Instead of “Is the Pope catholic” I always preferred “Does James Brown get down?”

  22. 22.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Brachiator: I believe you have that backwards. Song for my Father is an instrumental composition by Horace Silver, that’s been covered by scores of artists. It’s a jazz standard. Lyrics were added later, not by Silver.

  24. 24.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Splitting Image: And very well-trained – his father, an operatic baritone, was the first African-American man to sing with the Metropolitan Opera.

    I’ve had the good fortune to see Bobby in concert, and his talent is remarkable and wide-ranging.

  26. 26.

    Brachiator

    @Raven:

    Probably the best footage of James Brown, 17 minutes at the TAMI Show!

    Great stuff.

    The Chadwick Boseman biographical film about Brown, Get On Up, is uneven but worth watching.

    I am amazed at how Brown essentially took over Bobby Byrd’s rhythm and blues band, made it his own and transformed black music a number of times, ultimately reaching the apotheosis of Funk.

    Here’s James Brown doing Sex Machine on Italian TV.

  27. 27.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    Great topic for a thread. These were the first songs that came to mind, some rock and some jazz

    Sweet Little Sixteen (live at Newport Jazz Festival) – Chuck Berry

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vblyDCToX5k

    Higher Ground (live version) Stevie Wonder

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1_uU9eIZRo

    Let’s Go Crazy (live version) – Prince

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqYueRzAh0

    In a Sentimental Mood – Duke Ellington and John Coltrane

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCQfTNOC5aE

    A Night In Tunisia (live version) – Dizzy Gillespie

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-SYoldqi64

    Bye-Ya – Thelonius Monk

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVkPWUsFIe0

     

  28. 28.

    kalakal

    I absolutely love Blues and here is the Bluesiest line ever from T-Bone Walker in his track Alimony Blues

    “It’s a cold-blooded worldWhen a man has to pawn his shoes”

  29. 29.

    Matt McIrvin

    my important related announcement: WE ARE GOING TO SEE JANELLE MONÁE THIS FALL. I am already hyped about this.

  32. 32.

    Brachiator

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Yep. I knew the original instrumental version very well. This was the first version of the song. I also love the Leon Thomas version with lyrics.

    Lazy misuse of the Internet led me to credit Silver for the lyrics.

    The lyrics may have been done by Ellen May Shashoyan.

  33. 33.

    Yutsano

    Harry Belafonte doing a love letter to Africa always gets me. I still can’t find the long version (it’s over 5 minutes) but it’s still a treat for the eyes and ears.

  34. 34.

    oatler

    @Brachiator:

    Related to Leon Thomas, You Tube has Pharoah Sanders’ “Iphizo Zam” lp  posted, with Sonny Sharrock playing a tornado and Thomas doing his thing.

  36. 36.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    A few more for the road

    Third Stone From The Sun – Jimi Hendrix

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zts332Y-nyg

    Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon – The Three Degrees

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kugv2FAhZoI

    Too Late To Turn Back Now – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8Whtxcw8oU

    Stolen Moments – Oliver Nelson

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbaGDDbpcQ4

    My Favorite Things – John Coltrane

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWG2dsXV5HI

  37. 37.

    Steeplejack

    I’m not a big Ken Burns fan, but I will say that Jazz is an excellent documentary, especially up to about 1960, when it kind of loses its way as jazz lost its way for a bit under the onslaught of rock music. I am a pretty big jazz fan, but I learned a lot about the early roots and the evolution of the genre.

    I think you can still stream it on PBS Passport, but I know a lot of libraries also have it available on loan.

  38. 38.

    Josie

    A couple of favorites that take me back to my courting years–Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman and Otis Redding’s Try a Little Tenderness.

  41. 41.

    Brachiator

    I loves me some double entendre blues.

    Like Hot Dog For My Roll, by Butterbeans and Susie.

    I don’t want no excuse, it must have lots of juice,

    I want a hot dog for my roll!

  43. 43.

    James E Powell

    @Brachiator:

    I guess you could just talk about American popular culture and be talking about black music.

    Hard to imagine American popular culture post 1955 without talking about black music.

    Not against the idea, but there’s way too much for just one month. I mean, we could do a month just on bass players.

  45. 45.

    Brachiator

    @Josie:

    A couple of favorites that take me back to my courting years–Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman and Otis Redding’s Try a Little Tenderness.

    Try A Little Tenderness is amazing.

    And the original is a Depression era song first recorded in 1932.

  48. 48.

    prostratedragon

    Singer-pianist Nellie Lutcher. Like Helen Humes and Alberta Hunter, she had a resurgence in the 70s. Youtube has some complete live shows as well as albums.

    “Hurry On Down”

  50. 50.

    Ihop

    Tina turner (fuck ike)

    Bessie Smith

    Sister Rosetta

    Bb king

    Albert King

    Gladys night

    Whitney Houston

    Prince

    Nat cole

    Miles Davis

    John Coltrane

    Buddy guy

    Muddy waters

    Junior wells

    Lemon Jefferson

    Elmore James

    John Lee hooker

    Leadbelly

    Ray “goddam fucking” Charles

    Ella Fitzgerald

     

    Im not bragging, that’s a quick survey of the artists I fucking love on my hard drive.

    Goddam, why would anyone not love billie holiday.

  51. 51.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    How did we get this far along and nobody’s mentioned Aretha Franklin? Aretha’s version of You Send Me is, IMO, better than Cooks, and Sam Cook was frickin great. Also her version of Tracks of My Tears is the best though Smokey far outclassed her as a songwriter. I love Motown and the Memphis soul from Stax.

    More recently there was a lot of great hip hop in the early ’90s. Public Enemy were great but I really liked the jazz influenced stuff from The Digable Planets and the members of The Native Tongues etc.

  57. 57.

    patrick II

    My favorite music was anything Motown, especially the Temptations.

    We underestimate how black culture and music has so much influence over music in foreign countries. It has been a huge cultural positive for the U.S. all over the world. Some of the best jazz and particularly R&B in the world is being performed in the Philippines.  Here is a video of Filipina singer Morissette performing And I am Telling You

    BlackPink, a female KPOP group, which I had not heard of until about two months ago, was the headliner at Coachella this past month.  They sing mostly hip-hop and rap music with an Asian twist.  They are immensely popular with one of their videos garnering over two billion YouTube views.  They have 8.8 billion Spotify downloads.

    Here is their latest video: Pink Venom

  58. 58.

    Yutsano

    It was written by two white men, but Porgy and Bess allowed Black performers to show what they can do at a time when very few could even find work in opera.

  60. 60.

    Sparks

    • @Raven: There’s a lot of great clips of major and minor stars. Many are from Europe. Thankfully not all – I found a clip of Otis Redding’s last concert.
  62. 62.

    raven

    Norway, 67.

     

    Booker T & The MGs (Green Onions),
    the Mar-Keys (Philly Dog),
    Arthur Conley (Sweet Soul Music),
    Eddie Floyd (Raise Your Hand),
    Sam & Dave (You Don’t Know Like I Know + Soothe Me + Hold On I’m Coming),
    Otis Redding (Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) + My Girl + Shake + (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction + Try A Little Tenderness).

  64. 64.

    zhena gogolia

    Too lazy to check, but has anyone mentioned Scott Joplin? The rags, of course, but I also love his opera Treemonisha.

  67. 67.

    oatler

    @raven:

    The Memphis ’69 Blues Festival with Bukka White, Rufus Thomas, John Fahey, Furry Lewis, and the Insect Trust. On DVD and YT.

  74. 74.

    Sparks

    @Ihop: heehee, my thumb drive has many more artists. I also have every Motown song from the beginning to 1971. If my laptop worked, I’d be in heaven.

  79. 79.

    prostratedragon

    Combining a couple of threads here, 14 years ago when this video was posted, it was nearly the only example of the vocal music from Treemonisha to be found on youtube. Now there are several complete versions and many excerpts. This one is from Milan, where it was performed as part of an observance of Martin Luther King Day. You never know.

    A Real Slow Drag”

  83. 83.

    Mai Naem mobile

    There’s very little American music without black music. I don’t even know where to start – Stevie Wonder – Jammin’, Otis Redding – These Arms of Mine, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell –  You’re All I Need to Get By, Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover,  The Shirelles  – Will You Love me Tomorrow? , The Drifters – Under the Boardwalk, Tina Turner – Proud Mary, Aretha Franklin – Think, Earth Wind & Fire – September, Sly and the Family Stone – Family Affair….all that and I haven’t even hit the 80s. I listen to the Soul Town station on Sirius and it’s just truly amazing how much good music Motown put out. Any record label would be proud to put out a third of the stuff they put out. Memorable stuff which has aged really well.

  85. 85.

    citizen dave

    Month way too short.  I love the giants: Louis Armstrong, Coltrane, Miles, Ray Charles, Hendrix.  A few hundred others too.  Howling Wolf, John Lee Hooker (saw him once), Muddy Waters.  A later guy, R L Burnside ( saw 3-4 times).  The two dudes with Jack White last summer were friggin’ awesome.

  86. 86.

    laura

    To try to list is to omit and overlook a rich history of excellence and innovation. Black Music is what America sounds like.

  91. 91.

    Ben Cisco 🇺🇸🎖️🖥️♦️

    Too many for vid links, but names covering decades:

    Temptations

    Gladys Knight & the Pips

    Sam & Dave

    Little Stevie Wonder

    Jackson 5

    Manhattans

    George Clinton & Parliament / Funkadelic

    Grover Washington Jr.

    The Neville Brothers

    Steel Pulse

    Jonathan Butler

    Aretha Franklin

    Dionne Warwick

    Pieces of a Dream

    George Duke

    Prince

    Babyface

    Jeffrey Osborne

    Teddy Pendergrass

    Anita Baker

    Phyllis Hyman

    Minnie Riperton

    Living Colour

    Lonnie Liston Smith

    Miles Davis

    Herbie Hancock

    Sekou Bunch

    Marcus Miller

     

    OK I’ll stop now.

  93. 93.

    Lehrjet

    I’m surprised that no one here has mentioned the Funk Brothers! If you haven’t seen it Standing in the Shadows of Motown is a great documentary on them. The House band for the Motown studio, they have more gold records than anyone else ever!

  94. 94.

    Mike S

    @James E Powell: I hope you caught the 3 of them together when they toured as SMV for their album Thunder. One of the most amazing shows I’ve ever been to.

    Kamasai Washington was another mind blower as he is taking jazz to a new place and level.

    Truth

  96. 96.

    Ramalama

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Aretha Franklin’s version of Bridge Over Troubled Water was a song a bunch of my friends played on Sundays instead of going to Church. My friends and me: white. But a few of them were gay men with AIDS and looking for some relief that Our Fellow Brethren did not offer.

    This was a long time ago.

    Also, the fact that all of these major major singers like Ms. Aretha played and sang in the Blues Brothers movie was pretty special.

  97. 97.

    Ramalama

    Long ago, I lived in this semi-coop in Jamaica Plain, MA where one of the roommates never lived in her room but she continued paying rent, and housed what looked like all of her possessions. Included was artwork by her famous artist grandfather, and knick-knacks like museum quality robes from the Ming Dynasty, and photos of her, the ghost of a roommate, with people like Mahalia Jackson. Who’s that, I asked another roommate. Roommate widened her eyes and handed me an album, live at Newport Rhode Island. I’d been to the Newport Folk Festival a jillion times. But not for music like Mahalia Jackson’s. Holy moly. Listen to the live recorded version of this song, with piano, organ, and bass. The accompaniment is so perfect and then that voice. I’ve worn the record out. I have obsessed over every moment in the song. Anyone who’s ever lived with me (in America, or now in Canada since I am and remain an expat) has heard me expound over the perfection of this song: On My Way.

    Kindly forgive me. I really don’t get out much.

  107. 107.

    billcinsd

    @kalakal: I like this from Leroy Carr’s 6 Cold Feet of ground recorded a couple of months before he drank himself to death.

    Just lay my body,
    baby in six cold feet of ground.
    Just lay my body,
    baby in six cold feet of ground.
    Well I don’t have to be the loser,
    when the deal goes down.

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