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Alan Lomax was an American enthnomusicologist who was responsible for recording folk music, and spoken word records in the early 20th century. His work began in Haiti making recordings of the music there with his father, and then in 1937 he was made Assistant in Charge of the Archive of American Folk Song. He interviewedContinue reading “Lomax Project”

I decided for my final project to do a Audio Visual Document about American musician Dave Grohl. I wanted to focus on his contribution to the rise of Grunge, and later Alternative Rock in popular music and how he has gone about conserving the recording techniques used on those classic records. He started his careerContinue reading “Final Project: Dave Grohl”

Included in this Spotify playlist are songs from different styles of African American secular music, and then songs that later grew to prominence in popular music throughout the twentieth century that were directly influenced, if not copied, from the songs that were written before them. I included example from the blues, boogie-woogie, and early rockContinue reading “African American Secular Music and How it Influenced Later Popular Music”

The 1960’s was a decade of reckoning for America. The evils of segregation, Jim Crow, and general prejudice against black people in this country had finally come to a head, with a movement of black Americans who demanded to be treated equally. This became known as the Civil Rights movement. The film introduced us toContinue reading “Music’s Function During the Civil Rights Movement”

Jazz has been around since the early 20th century, a genre that blossomed out of the Harlem Renaissance featuring improvisation, delicate attention to dynamics and brilliant technicality from its performers. Artists such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane being example of this first wave of jazz musicians that influenced musicians around the world.Continue reading “How Jazz Remains in Popular Music Taday”

Ma Rainey was named at birth as Gertrude Pritchett, and claims to have been born April 26, 1886 in Columbus, GA, however a later US census contradicts that claim. Rainey began performing professionally as a teenager, and by 1900 she was part of touring vaudeville acts. Rainey heard her first country blues performer whilst onContinue reading “Ma Rainey”

Music has historically been transmitted historically in one of three ways. Aural transmission, which is a song is performed by one person and remembered and passed down by others. Mass transmission which can be recording, videos, the internet and live concerts, and Commercialization which involves the modern business model for selling music on the openContinue reading “Transmission of Music”

A concept I have always thought about in regards to music is how music is alive in its own right. Once a tune is written and put out into the world it seems to want to belong to the world around it, bending, changing and evolving as it touches other musicians who are then inspiredContinue reading “Amazing Grace”

Country music had both a direct and indirect influence from folk music, and it manifesting in several interesting ways. The influence I’d like to investigate today is how it influenced one of the most renowned and celebrated Country Singers of all time, Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash describes his influences as being “Black blues, black gospelContinue reading “Folk Music’s Influence on Early Country Singers”

Music has been a central part of my family dynamic for as long as I can remember. We were the type of family to always have music playing in the house. I would often wake up to music playing in the kitchen while my Mom or Dad made us all breakfast and music plays atContinue reading “Family Music History”