The Musical Culture of Black
Americans
An Interactive Lesson by Ken Sockwell
Work Songs
Blues and Jazz
 Overview
 Standards
 Assignments
 Credits
 Websites
 Contact Info
Gospel
Popular
Overview
Note: You will need internet access and the ability to listen to mp3 and
Real Audio files to complete this lesson.
Probably more than any other
ethnic group, Black
Americans have impacted our
society with their culture and
their music. From work
songs, to blues, jazz, gospel,
rock and rap, Black
musicians have seasoned the
melting pot of the United
States with music that
touches the heart and soul of
all people.
Collage created by Ken Sockwell
Work Songs
This genre began with black
slaves. Generally, the songs
were “call and response” and
sung while the workers were
toiling in fields. Therefore, it
is mostly unaccompanied and
its composers are unknown.
Roots are the African Work
Song. This genre led to the
“Blues.”
Task: Follow this link and
listen to this example of a
work song (Real Audio.)
Blues and Jazz
The work song led to the blues,
Task: Follow this link and
listen to this example of the
blues by Muddy Waters (mp3.)
Also, read more about the
blues here.
which is generally a 12 measure
form with AAB lyrical format.
The topic is usually about how
bad things are. Blues are
usually accompanied by one or
more instruments and often
have improvised instrumental
verses. Bessie Smith, Howlin
Wolf, Muddy Waters, and B.B.
King are several well known
Blues artists
To Jazz
Blues and Jazz - Continued
Jazz is thought to have started in New
Task: Listen to “Stormy
Weather” by Ethel Waters and
Duke Ellington. Also, read
more about Jazz history here.
Orleans around 1890. This early Dixieland
music had a two beat, similar to the march.
However, by the 1920’s its meter evolved
into four. Chicago, New York and Kansas
City became centers for jazz development.
Big Band music dominated the 1940’s. The
fifties saw cool and beat jazz develop,
which were more intimate styles. The
sixties gave birth to fusion, which was a
combination of rock and jazz. Jazz, like the
early work song, was an expression of the
black condition of the day.
Black Gospel:
The birthplace of Rock
Slaves were initially not allowed to
practice any religion as they were
considered to be without souls. As
Afro-Americans were allowed to
convert to Christianity, the same
“call and response” style that
dominated the work song became
praise to God. It is characterized as
emotional with a wide vocal range.
Major artists associated with
gospel music include Mahalia
Jackson, James Cleveland, and the
Soul Stirrers. Gospel eventually
led to the birth of “Rock and Roll.”
Task: Listen to The Southern
Sons and read more about
Gospel Music history here.
Black Popular Music
Rock music was first performed by
Task: Read more about popular
black music here. This is also a
good overview page for all black
music history.
black musicians in the early
1950’s. These early artists are said
to have had a major influence on
many other musicians, including
The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Some major black popular
musicians are Run DMC, Prince,
and Michael Jackson. Several
other Afro-American genres have
developed since then, including
Soul (1960’s), Funk (1970’s), Rap
(1970’s), and Hip Hop (1980’s).
Assignment and Assessment
• Read through all the content slides and
complete the task on each one. You may
also want to check the credits and websites
pages for more content information.
• Go to this link and download a copy of the
assessment. It is in Word format.
• Print out the assessment and turn it in to the
instructor by the due date.
Content and Technology
Standards
• Historical and Cultural
Context
• Understanding the
Historical Contributions
and cultural Dimensions
of Music
• Role of Music: 3.1:
Identify the sources of
musical genres of the
United States, trace the
evolution of those genres,
and cite well-known
musicians associated with
them.
• Technology Research
Tools
• Students use technology
to locate, evaluate, and
collect information from
a variety of sources.
• Students use technology
tools to process data and
report results.
Other Websites for further
Research
• Rounder Records
• Archives of African-American Music and
Culture
• Jazz History and Black Music
• African-American Sheet Music from
Browne University
• See also the credits on the next page
Credits
•
•
•
•
Negro Work Songs and Calls
Black History Month 2003 – Rhino Records
Center for Black Music Research
Kelley Hutzley, Music Specialist, Academy
for Academic Excellence, Apple Valley CA
All images used
in this
presentation are
in the public
domain.
To contact Ken
Sockwell, please
write to:
Ksockwell@lcer.org
Collage created by Ken Sockwell