Black Music in America

        The title of my post is the title of my third book. This book focused upon individual artists that were influential to today's American music. According to this book, blues, jazz, and rock n' roll all originated from African Americans. White performers like Benny Goodman to Frank Sinatra to the Beatles to Rod Stewart--have said that they owe their biggest debt to "black music." Like my first book, this book stated that these popular forms of music started on the slave ships coming to America. Complicated beats and sorrowful melodies came from Africa, and they brought these songs with them to America. 

        Big bands become popular during the Civil War era. The Frank Johnson Band and James Bland were popular during this era. Even though they toured in the north and in Canada, they were unable to tour in the southern states because of the racism. It wasn't safe for any African American in the south at the time of the Civil War and even afterwards. The first recognized black female singer was Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. She and her mother were slaves, but she was freed when she lived with the Quakers in Pennsylvania. In her 40's, she toured the north, Canada, and Europe as a soprano singer. She was known for being able to sing a wide range if notes. Audiences were shocked that blacks were capable of singing opera and classical music, which was music only white people usually sang. Elizabeth even performed for Queen Victoria of England. Again, she was unable to tour the southern states. Most black musicians during the Civil War era would perform in circus acts or vaudeville acts. They still weren't earning the respect they deserved.

       Slowly, as time moved on, people like Louis Armstrong were able to change this. His fame grew and by the 1930s, Louis Armstrong was on the verge of international stardom, and not far away from his first European tour. Armstrong's famous trumpet solos and his jazz style originated from the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. The Black Renaissance (it is also called) also inspired artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday. The jazz craze spread like a fever all throughout America and throughout the world. By the 1940s, it was the most popular type of music in America. 

At this point, after explaining the creation of jazz and where it came from, I will go into greater detail of how Ella Fitzgerald specifically was able to break the social boundaries and earn respect from both white and black Americans.