...Music For My Soul Kaplan University 300-02 – Art and Humanities: Twentieth Century and Beyond Music For My Soul Being from a family of many musicians and singers, music is a huge part of my life. It’s much more than a melody in my ear. It’s the movement of my body, ease of my mind, and thoughts I can only express through sweet, therapeutic sounds. Music is that “feeling” I get when I hear it. Through my childhood to adulthood, it still lives in me. Various genres of music have played important roles in my life. Rhythm & Blues (R&B), Rap/Hip Hop, Neo Soul, and Gospel have all conveyed emotions within me. Journey with me as I take a look back over my life and reminisce on how important music has been for my soul. As a child, I remember sitting in my room with my radio blasted! I would sing and dance until I became completely exhausted. I was very familiar with Rap/Hip Hop, R&B, and Gospel music. These three genres of music captivated me in three different ways. The rhythm of Rap music made me dance until I would sweat. Can’t Touch This by M.C. Hammer was my all time favorite. M.C. Hammer started the song with “my, my, my, my music hits me so hard, makes me wanna say “Oh my Lord, thank you for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet” (Hammer, 1990, track 2). Those were the only words to the verse I knew for a long time. I must admit that words to Rap songs didn’t mean very much to me back then. I loved to dance so the beat was all...
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...Thesis: This monograph will discuss the origination of Soul Music, its founding fathers, how it was influenced throughout the decades, as well as statistics, research and demographics of it impact on people. To begin with, “soul music is defined as a fervent type of popular music developed in the late 1950s by black Americans as a secularized form of gospel music, with rhythm-and-blues influences, and distinctive for its earthy expressiveness, variously plaintive or raucous vocals, and often passionate romanticism or sensuality” (Kris, "Dictionary.com"). Soul music first takes root during the 1950s, in Memphis, Tennessee, and was originally preformed by African-Americans. The musical composition of soul consists of guitar, bass, piano, organ,...
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...Instructor’s name Class name and section Date of submission UofM email address Significance of Stax on African American soul It has been a tough tussle for the African American people to advocate for their civil rights in the society and a contest against racial discrimination and isolation. Establishment of Civil Rights Movement was their chief strategy towards realizing their desires. Stax Museum of American Soul Music was one among various groups that engaged with a lot of enthusiasm in the struggle to terminate separation and ameliorate lives of their people. Other than just being a musical hub, Stax records were a cultural center where all people regardless of color or racial background were welcomed. They treated all the attendants equal, they produced an extensive variety of music making them an important aspect of the Memphis society. They inspired the African American community and gave them encouragement, fought seclusion which was widely and passionately supported during that time. Through its production business, they were able to finance performances targeting to benefit the needy in the African American society and encouraged children from the isolated society to progress with their education. They centered their interest in African American music its development and the influence it brings to the society. The neighborhood surrounding the Stax studio was a well webbed and naïve, due to this fact, they were able to record reasonable steps of advancement...
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... and pop music? Those are all types of different soul music. Many songs and artist we know today have introduced us to this what we called soul music. In this paper I will talk about the some artist that has made an impact in today’s music and not only that, how African American music has affected history of our heritage. Soul music is gospel-influenced African American popular music style that began to emerge in the late 1950s and became popular during the 1960s. (Maultsby, 277) There were many artist back in the day that made soul music very influential Ray Charles and James Brown was known for the similarity of having a black gospel back ground then transforming their sound into blues that lead to the sound of “soul music”. When the artist Sam Cook released a song call “A Change Is Gonna Come” it had a huge impact on the society because this was the time around the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement is a movement beginning in the late 1940s and blossoming in the late 1950s to the mid-1960s that pushed for equal rights for African Americans. (Maultsby, 277) In the year of 1964 when Cooks song came out he had died and there was a signing of the Civil Rights Act. Many people thought the song “A Change Is Gonna Come” had marked from rhythm and blues to soul. This songs is known as a gospel style. By just these three men singing the types of songs that were passionate about made a tremendous impact on how the world look at soul music today. Soul music is what I...
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...Annotated Bibliography Books: 1. Awkward, Michael. Soul Covers: Rhythm and Blues Remakes and the Struggle for Artistic Identity : (Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Phoebe Snow). Durham: Duke UP, 2007. Print. a. Soul Covers is an engaging look at how three very different rhythm and blues performers—Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Phoebe Snow—used cover songs to negotiate questions of artistic, racial, and personal authenticity 2. Bego, Mark. Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul. New York, NY: Skyhorse Pub., 2012. Print. a. Traces the life of Aretha Franklin from deserted child to teenage mother to Grammy winner to inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 3. Bogdanov, Vladimir. All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat, 2003. Print. a. This is a complete guide to the uniquely American world of the blues. The roots of the blues can be found in the turn-of-the-century Mississippi Delta, but today its reach extends into all kinds of music including rock, jazz, country, soul, and more. 4. Brown, Ruth, and Andrew Yule. Miss Rhythm: The Autobiography of Ruth Brown, Rhythm and Blues Legend. New York: D.I. Fine, 1996. Print. a. Tony Award winner Ruth Brown is a rhythm-and-blues revolutionary, a woman whose early successes earned her instant worldwide fame and launched a career that has influenced such legendary performers as Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington, Little Richard and Stevie Wonder. This candid autobiography offers the true...
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...roll era both was tremendous in his own right. Sam Cooke was a revolutionary artist who in some instances set the precedent for many artists and movements that followed. His music, singing, and performance helped solidify Cooke as one of the all-time greats. As a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame charter member, the need for his presence on the syllabus and in this class is irrefutable. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 22, 1931, to the Reverend and Mrs. Charles Cook, Sr., Sam Cooke was one of eight Cook children. This son of a Baptist preacher and sibling to four brothers and three sisters was born into a lifestyle conducive to a musical career. The large family and church background provided for the perfect set-up for a gospel family group. That’s just what they did—together forming “The Singing Children”. (Wolff). Cooke’s musical talents and interests continued to thrive in the ensuing years as he moved from one musical group to another, working to make a name for himself and for the African-American community in music. His music often reflected the troubling times in our nation—and his words were often turned into action—as was evident by him eventually becoming the first-ever artist—black or white—to run his own record/production company. (Stambur) Sam Cooke had a very unique style of music for his time, and his road to fame was certainly an interesting one. With his father being...
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...your musical, professional or scholarly goals for the future (250 words) 1. Music and performing have always been a part of my life, commencing dancing at the age of 3. Around the age of 8, I was encouraged by a dance teacher to take up the drama and singing class and it was around that time that I fell in love with singing. I started taking private singing classes immediately and a few months later started participating in eisteddfods and other competitions. By the age of 10, I started taking lessons with a new teacher, who taught me classical technique and would always show me how and why we did things a certain way to ensure I could apply all the technique to any song I will ever sing and that is what set my singing apart. My love for music, singing and performing grew when I had the chance to attend the McDonald College of Performing Arts from grade 7 through to 12, excelling, even though my music theory background was almost nil compared to all my friends who had studied piano and music theory from young ages. I studied music for 2 hours per day, 5 days a week. Being a music vocal student, these lessons consisted of jazz vocal choir, music composition, music theory, contemporary music choir and madrigal choir. Being a soloist, through these classes I learnt the importance of blending within a group, ear training, how to compose music and also had the chance to sing various styles of music, having to perform the entire score of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff being an example...
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...Kaplan Online University HU300: Arts and Humanities: 20th Century and Beyond Professor Lisa Dimitriadis Mr. Karl Gibson April 15, 2011 When I think of music and how it influences my life I come up with many different types to consider, and at various times. Music I associate with my childhood are various songs heard during family picnics, family gatherings, and times or events of this nature. I grew up as a child in the 1960’s and listened to what my parents were listening to. Songs like Finger Popping Time by Hank Ballard and the Midnighter’s, I got a Woman, Ray Charles, The Great Pretender, Sam Cooke and Think by Aretha Franklin, who is said to be the Queen of Soul. These songs were of good times, happy times, they made me feel that everything was well in the world, despite the horrific turmoil in the U.S. caused by the Vietnam War. I still look back at those times as some of the best times in America and my musical experiences. I think the music then reflect my childhood experiences of sensibility, freedom, fun and laughter. My adolescence year’s music seemed to change a bit in America as well as for me and what we listened to in our home, as well as on my own. I was never much of a rebel so I guess music in my adolescence years was more of a way for me to fit in. Songs in the late 70’s were changing over Woodstock was over as well as the whole Love & Peace movement. We were bringing troops home from Korea and the long dreaded Vietnam War was...
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...Blackbird Studio in Nashville and the Hensen Recording Studios in Hollywood Released -> September 20, 2011 Record Label -> RCA records (http://www.rcarecords.com/artists) Retail price: CD €12,99 ITunes: €9,99 [Genre] The genre(s) of this album are Blue-eyed soul, pop rock, and rock. Blue-eyed soul -> R&B / Soul performed by white artists, this music has a really nice vibe. Pop rock -> Mix of a catchy pop style and guitar-based rock. [Target group] In my opinion, there is not one specific target group for this album, just like the other three albums of DeGraw. He has a voice that is attractive for a lot of people. Teenage girls and boys, 20-30 year olds, and even 50 year olds like his voice and music. His album is a mix of blue-eyed soul and pop rock, I think that that’s also a reason why it is attractive to more than one target group. His tour concert in Amsterdam was totally sold out, so that means that a lot of people are interested and a fan of his music. [Period] The album is released on September 20, 2011. In my opinion, the album is timeless, but that is because I really like his sound, but someone who likes heavy metal might think that it is not timeless. The genre of the album is blue-eyed soul and pop rock, which means that it is not limited to this specific time. For this album, He reached out to fellow songwriters that he had wanted to work with, Ryan Tedder (One Republic) and Andrew Frampton (The Script). DeGraw’s latest hit, “Not Over You,” is...
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...released in 2000. As a musician and vocalist myself, I’d say that I’m usually a bit more critical of music projects than I would be of any other form of art. It’s usually an easy task for me to appreciate the creativity of other art forms because I don’t have any type of bias. With music, however, it has been my lifelong passion. Since I was a child, I’ve been a student and a fan. As a fan, I’ve always looked for an album that could hold my interest throughout the entire list of tracks. I think even the most casual listener wants the best album possible. I can’t imagine anyone would want to spend their hard earned money on a mediocre album, with only a few songs standing out as favorites. Unfortunately, this has likely been the case since the Eight Track Tape was phased out. There was no rewind or fast forward option, so the albums simply had to be good. It’s a lot harder found what I’d consider a good album, present day. In my opinion, a good album evokes just as much emotion as it does provoke those and give the desire to dance, particularly when speaking of R&B and Soul genres. By these standards, most albums fail. Most albums have one ore the other, but very seldom have all of these characteristics. D’Angelo’s Voodoo was a progressive work that had a retro feel. I think what made this album so strong was the fact that it was able to transcend time. Fans of funk music enjoyed this album just as much as fans of modern day R&B. D’Angelo calls on the inspiration...
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...at the Disco, the reason behind this is because their music is not considered rock and roll but they are considered punk, which falls in to the that gray area that can’t be defined as rock or pop so it is tough to say if they should be inducted. This is not the only controversies regarding Artists and whether they should be in the hall, especially when it comes to the more recent inductees. One of those being N.W.A, no one can deny that they have a big impact on pop culture. But they also have no ties to rock and roll. There should be a limit on who can get in, such as an artist should have at least have some ties to rock and roll. Which begs the question, why are they being inducted into a rock and roll Hall of fame is they are not a rock and roll group or have any influence on the rock and roll...
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...Courtney Parker Prof. Aaron Lack American Popular Music 30 March 2015 The Atlantics Last Friday night, I went to see a live band performance at The Highball, located inside the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on South Lamar in downtown Austin, TX. The band that performed was called, “The Atlantics”. There was a man stroking the hell out of the electric piano, a man finessing the drums and bassist making it look too easy, and another man doing the boogie with the saxophone sounding like heaven to the soul. Also there were two men playing the guitar, what a great collaboration, and a smooth fellow caressing the notes and keys to his trumpet. The group was led by two awesome vocalists of which were male and female. They had astounding voices and quickly aroused the audience, even captivating the local pedestrians who were strolling around the neighborhood. I believe the best part about this performance was that it was free admission and therefore, I had extra pocket change to snag a beer and socialize with other attendees. The set up and arrangements were nice and it all seemed well planned but I strongly felt that they could have used a bigger stage so they would have more room to dance and get jiggy with it. Other than that, I loved that they played several old school hits such as: Otis Redding’s “Sitting on the dock of the Bay,” Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” and The Temptations’ “Poppa was a Rolling Stone.” The performance overall was a great mixture of instruments and vocals. It...
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...has become the model for fashion designers, while her vulnerability, her fragile personality and self-destructive behavior has been regular tabloid news, and subject of criticism and controversy. In April 2008 she was named the second greatest "ultimate heroine" by the British population at large, and a month later was voted the second most hated personality in the UK. George Michael called her the "best female vocalist he has heard in his entire career," while Keith Richards warned that she "won't be around long" if her behavior doesn't change.(“Mock”) From the perspective of the public eye, Amy Winehouse was a stand out talent in a landscape of cookie cutter “celebrities” that were famous for being famous. Whether you liked her music or...
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...Eulogy for Troy My father has died from a heart attack when he was swinging a bat at the baseball in our yard. I remembered that when he alive, my relationship with my father was not good because he did not approve me to play for the college football game. One time, I came back and steps over my Pop on the porch without saying excuse me. Then he picked a fight with me, and I was not afraid of him. He asserted his manhood and role as father by forcing the respect issue with me, who disrespectfully refuses to say "excuse me" to his father. He told me to leave the house and lived on my own since I did not respect him anymore. He said that: “You just another nigger on the street to me!” At that time, I was very angry, and I can not control myself. I talked back to him and point out that the house was not his property. That should be owned by Uncle Gabe whose government paychecks paid for the most mortgage payments. We were very angry and could not control ourselves. Then he was suddenly attacked me, and I was hitting him back with the baseball bat but it did not hit him. My Pop finally kicked me out of the house, and told me not to come back. He would take my belonging next to the fence. I leave the house and I joined in the Marines later on. The day I came back was the day of my Pop’s funeral. At first, I still not happy with his decision for not letting me play in the college football team, so I did not want to go to the funeral. Then my mom told me something that make...
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...5 New Faces of Gospel Music Photo Credit: Praise World Radio If you think gospel music is dominated by traditional gospel artists, think again. Here are some of the newest faces you should look out for. 1. Alexis Spight – This funky gospel artist started out as a runner-up in BET’s singing competition Sunday Best. Her style of music is more of an urban and contemporary gospel music Her single, Imagine Me, made its way on the Hot Gospel Songs Chart while her first album, L.O.L. or Living Out Loud shot to the Billboard 200, Independent Albums, and Gospel Album charts. Her style offers a fresh take on gospel music. With her signature red hair, you won’t easily forget this lady. Did we mention she is also a preacher’s daughter? 2. Bri Babineaux – This cute and charming YouTube sensation...
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