Civil Rights Movement Flashcards
1
Q
Freedom Songs
A
- 1954- 1968
- Early protest songs were reworking’s of gospel songs, popularised not in recording but in marches and live performances
- ‘Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Freedom Singers’ toured performing spirituals, folk songs and freedom songs often explaining to audiences how they were relevant
- Musically, songs were still based on hymnody and old spirituals. E.g. Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around
2
Q
We Shall Overcome
A
- Based on older hymn ‘I’ll Overcome Someday’
- Reworked by African-American tobacco workers
- Popularised by Pete Seeger at the Highland Folk School
- Artists like Mahalia Jackson would later add call/response patterns and syncopation
3
Q
Support of White Folk Singers
A
- 1954-1968
- Folk music was becoming popular amongst young white audiences
- Helped to galvanise support for the Civil Rights Movement. E.g. Pete Seeger and the Highland Folk School and Joan Baez
- Bob Dylan was one of the most famous. Oxford Town, inspired by the state-sanctioned bigotry that produced rioting at the University of Mississippi when it was desegregated in 1962
4
Q
Rock and Roll
A
- 1954-1968
- Mostly white performers, so very little mention
- Exception: Chuck Berry, ‘In the Promised Land’ (1964)
Referencing 1961 ‘Freedom Rides’
‘Avoid Rock Hill’, where riders faced violence, Riders would be dragged off buses and beaten up for crossing state lines into segregated areas. Worst violence faced in Alabama “had most trouble”
5
Q
Soul
A
- 1954-1968
- Sam Cooke (1964) ‘A Change is Gonna Come’. Inspired when Sam Cooke and his family were turned away from a Holiday Inn despite making a booking and then being arrested for disturbing peace. Also influenced by social impact of Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowing in the Wind’. Song became and anthem for the Civil Rights Movement, very much based on having faith.
- The Impressions (1965) ‘People Get Ready’. Quote from Curtis Mayfield, lead singer of The Impressions. Taken from the church and his upbringing of messages from the church.
6
Q
Black Power
A
After 1968. Martin Luther king was assassinated in 1968. His death marked the end of the early civil rights movement. Following his death more militant and separatist movements emerged more known as black power. Included move towards more armed groups such as the black panthers
7
Q
Music and Spoken Word
A
- 1970-1971
- Gil Scott Heron (1970-71) The revolution will not be televised. Critique of general pop-culture apathy. Invoking new funk sound
- Watts Prophets (1971) Dem N***ers Ain’t Playin’. Specific references to riots in Watts, LA, Endorsing Black Panther Party, A very early form of rap.
8
Q
Strengthening links with Africa
A
- 1970’s
- 1974 concert in Zaire featuring James Brown, Bill Withers, BB King and others, promoting cultural and racial solidarity with Africa
- Influence of African American culture and ‘black power’ has begun to spread around the world. Nigerian singer-musician Fela Kuti invented ‘Afrobeat’ and during his time in US discovered black power and black panther movement. He returned to Nigeria and became activist and leader- His album Zombie (1976) attacked the Nigerian government and led to his home being raided and his mother killed by the Nigerian Government.
9
Q
Black Music in 1982: 2 examples
A
- Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean made him the first Black performer to appear in a video on MTV
- Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five release ‘The Message’, one of the first mainstream rap records to address social inequalities. Uses a sample of a parliament song
10
Q
Public Enemy ‘Fight the Power’
A
- 1989
- Video was directed by Spike Lee (One of the first successful black directors)
- One of the strongest statements of anger of that time
- Just a few years before the Watts riot in LA in ‘92
- References to white dominance in history
11
Q
Rap’s White Audience
A
- 1990’s/2000’s
- In the 90’s and 00’s rap and hip hop was increasingly listened to by young white audiences. A survey in America found that in 1995, 1999 and 2001 between 70-75% of rap music purchases were by white listeners
- Some have alleged that as a consequence the industry played down political or provocative rap releases promoting less challenging artists
- Exception: 2-Pac (1998) Changes- References Huey Newton, Leader of Black Panthers
12
Q
Black Lives Matter
A
- Present day
- Widespread protest movement against police brutality and systematic racism
- Triggered by deaths of Treyvon martin
13
Q
Black Lives Matter Artists
A
- Beyonce: Super Bowl Show 2016- Dancers wearing black panther outfit
- Janelle Monae: Hell you Talmbout (2015)- References to people who have been killed due to police brutality and inequality
- Kendrick Lamar: Alright (2015)- Became an anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement, often chanted at Black Lives Matter protests
14
Q
James Brown
A
- 1968
- Say it loud: I’m Black and I’m Proud- More assertive than the music from before, Saying that if we want change we have to MAKE it happen not wait for it to happen, Has children from Watts, LA repeating the line “I’m Black and I’m Proud”.
15
Q
Billie Holiday- Strange Fruit
A
- 1939
- Billie Holiday’s original label (Columbia) wouldn’t let the record be released out of fear of the reaction it would get, especially in Southern States
- Another label (Commodore) recorded the song and it went on to sell over a million copies
- The song was covered by many artists like Nina Simone
