Many of the different genres we listen to and enjoy today were heavily influenced by various black artists everywhere. Genres from jazz to rock and roll, and artists from Ella Fitzgerald to Louis Armstrong. Everywhere you look in the world of music, it was influenced by black culture.
Just to list a few of the many who have had a major influence, there has been Prince, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and more current artists like H.E.R. and Nicki Minaj. Again, these are just a few out of the many different artists across all genres who have had huge influences on music as we know it today.
While those are some well-known names, there are many more who some people may not have ever heard of. For example, Sister Rosetta Tharpe is considered to be one of the original godmothers of rock and roll. She was known for her electric guitar and spiritual lyrics, which were both a mix important to the start and origins of rock and roll. Tharpe had a huge influence on many big-name artists, like Elvis Presley.
Another name that is not as widely known is Theodore Livingston or Grand Wizzard Theodore. Theodore is credited as the creator of the scratching technique in the DJ world. He invented scratching in 1975. This is a technique that is still used today and basically changed the game for DJs.
The Harlem Renaissance was a huge impact on music for the time and for today’s music. Coleman Hawkins was one of the first jazz horn players, he revolutionized the tenor saxophones roles in jazz. Hawkins is recognized as the first great saxophonist of jazz, and he influenced many of the other great saxophonists like Ben Webster and Chu Berry. There are also many others that made several contributions to jazz such as Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Josephine Baker.
Bandleader, singer, and musician James Brown invented the music style funk almost single-handedly. This genre of music has gone on to influence other genres, like hip-hop and other dance music. The “Godfather of Soul and Funk” influenced several artists like Prince, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Public Enemy. This is just a short list of his influence within the music world, his music and origins of funk have influenced many more.
While these are just some names, bigger or lesser-known, on the list of black artists who had a major influence on music there are so many more. All music, no matter the genre, has a talented black artist who had an influence on it. When you listen to whatever kind of music you like, think about the culture and people who worked hard to get the music to what we know it as today.