Colegiul Naional Avram Iancu, Cmpeni

Lucrare de atestare a competenelor lingvistice

BLACK AMERICAN MUSIC IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA-PAST AND PRESENT




Profesor coordonator: Bdu Ramona Elev: Cotiel Adriana

An colar 2013-2014


Colegiul Naional Avram Iancu, Cmpeni
Lucrare de atestare a competenelor lingvistice





BLACK AMERICAN MUSIC IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA-PAST AND PRESENT














Profesor coordonator: Bdu Ramona Elev: Cotiel Adriana

An colar 2013-2014


Table of contents


1. The roots of american music...........................................................................

2. Musical genres-past........................................................................................
2.1.Blues........................................................................................................
2.2.Gospel.......................................................................................................
2.3.Country music..........................................................................................

3. Past musical growth relating to the present...................................................
3.1. Creating new boundaries.....................................................................
3.2. Starting from scratch............................................................................

4. The result- music in todays world................................................................

5. Music of the Past vs Today's Music- bands and singers...............................
5.1.The Beatles..............................................................................................
5.2.Beyonce Knowles...................................................................................
5.3.Stevie Wonder........................................................................................
5.4.Ella Fitzgerald.........................................................................................
5.5.Louis Amstrong......................................................................................
5.6.Witney Houston......................................................................................

Conclusion...................................................................................................

Bibliography................................................................................................



3



Foreword

Music is important because it enables people to communicate ideas to others, often with
minimum resistance. People use music to express themselves and share their feelings, attitudes
and opinions with others. Messages of comfort, praise, hope and appreciation are often conveyed
in music.
In my work certification I have tried to include ideas that led to the production of music
and to his evolution. In the first chapter called The roots of american music I have presented
the definition of music as it was seen since the beginning and beside that I have showed how
music has blossomed in a variety of styles for any occasion and any emotion. Music styles such
as blues ,gospel, traditional country were genres who first devided music.
In chapter two called Musical genres-past I have presented some musical genres such
as blues, gospel and country music, including the period when they occurred and how
they influenced music. Also I have included one famous singer for each music style.
Past musical growth relating to the present, chapter three, contains informations about
the evolution of music. I have presented the changes that occurred during the time dividing them
in two parts named Creating new boundaries and Starting from scratch. These parts show
how music evolved and some events that influenced the process of evolution. Moreover, I have
presented how the name of musical styles was changed and the reaction of music listeners.
Chapter four called The result-music in todays world presents music as it is
nowdays. Lyrics, singers, bands, musical instruments were changed and this process led to more
controversy between those who appreciate real music and those who produce music without
having talent.
Last chapter called Music of the past vs Todays music-bands and singers contains
presentations of famous singers and bands from both past and present. Singers as Beyonce
Knowles, Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder who belong to different periods have left their mark
in music with their songs.
In conclusion music is a field in a constant evolution. All this information I have included
in my work certification are on Black American music, the real music producers.




4



The roots of american
music

The term American roots music may
not be a familiar one and requires some
explanation. At the beginning of the 20
th
century
the term folk music was used by scholars to
describe music made by whites of European ancestry, often in the relatively isolated rural South.
As the century progressed, the definition of folk music expanded to include the song styles-
particularly the blues-of Southern blacks as well. In general, folk music was viewed as a window
into the cultural life of these groups. Folk songs communicated the hopes, sorrows and
convictions of ordinary peoples everyday lives. Increasingly, music made by other groups of
Americans such as Native Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Cajuns came under the umbrella
of folk music. It was sung in churches, on front porches, in the fields and other workplaces,
while rocking children to sleep, and at the parties. The melodies and words were passed down
from parent to child, though songs-and their meaning-often changed to reflect changing times.In
the 1960s, awareness of folk songs and musicians grew, and popular musicians began to draw
on folk music as an artistic source as never before. Folk music then became a form of popular
music itself, popularized by singer/songwriters such as Bob Dylan, who helped pioneer the
intimate, often acoustic performing style that echoed that of community-based folk musicians.
Music writers, scholars and fans began to look for new ways to describe the diverse array of
musical styles still being sung and played in communities across America, though most often not
heard on radios. The term roots music is now used to refer to this broad range of musical
genres, which include blues, gospel, traditional country, zydeco, tejano, and native
American pow-wow. Songs are an important cultural form though which people assert and
preserve their own histories in the face of changing social conditions. Spirituals sung by African-
American slaves; protest songs sung by 1960s youth; Texas-Mexicans singing the corridor; and
union songs sung by labor organizers all suggest how music has been both an intrinsic
response to historical and cultural conflict and an expressive vehicle that encouraged collective
action. Contemporary singer-songwriters from many different ethnic backgrounds continue to
use music as a way to call attention to injustice. Roots music has long been a vehicle for offering
the disenfranchised a voice. American roots music draws on the lived experience of ordinary
men and women, who were and often still are defined and limited by cultural constructions of
race, class and gender. Just as music reflects how Americans have struggled against oppressive
social and economic conditions, music is also a means of celebrating and giving dignity to
identity. Music performance was often a place whites and blacks could come together and
transcend the social limits imposed by segregation. Historian Pete Daniel of the Smithsonian
5

Institution points out that travelling black and white musicians often came into contact and
influenced each others musical repertoires and playing styles. However, particularly in the
South, racial segregation continued to keep musicians and audiences apart according to an
entrenched racial logic. With the advent of radio, a broad range of Americans were exposed to a
diversity of musical styles, as there was no way to segregate the airwaves. Responses to
racism and racial segregation were reflected in American roots music.
Among all of America's diverse peoples, there has long been reciprocal connections
between religion, song, and the reproduction of "community." In the South, religious music of
the 18th and 19th centuries influenced the separate but related development of African American
and Anglo sacred music. All night "sings" were events that drew members of a community
together to hear Spiritual music in the South; black male members of Gospel quartets formed
bonds of reciprocity that continued throughout their life cycles. As Bernice Johnson Reagon
notes, "the quartet provided one more community-based structure where people could gather and
create out of their own experience." Within black and white traditions, religious music often was
a source for the shaping and performance of secular songs. As historian Bill Malone has pointed
out, "Country music has been subject to no greater influence than Southern religious life,
evolving in a society where religion was pervasive." Both black and white Southerners generally
received their musical education in a milieu that stressed religious music. Songs such as
"Amazing Grace" and "Farther Along" were common to both groups.
Particularly in the first half of the 20th century, poor rural whites were "objectified" by
scholars and collectors as embodying a pure, authentic American culture linked to "Anglo,"
northern European sources. While African American folk song collections had been published as
early as 1867, the notion of African Americans as authors of part of America's folk heritage did
not gain widespread acceptance until later. Due, in part, to the efforts of John Lomax, blacks -
particularly rural Bluesmen - came to be viewed as folk "heroes" and white folk scholars began
in earnest to collect songs from African American communities as well as Anglo. For example,
John Lomax was interested in the hypothetical conjunction between African American music
and the origins of our national folk tradition, which he imagined was preserved among black
convicts who had been isolated for many years from mainstream culture inside Southern
prisons.Unequal power relationships, shaped by differences in race and class and often gender,
have characterized the development of "folk" music from its roots in local communities to its
spread to wide and diverse audiences. Middle-class and elite, most often white, urban musicians,
scholars and fans have been drawn to music made by relatively disenfranchised African
Americans, whites and Latinos. This relationship has brought rural and "ethnic" music and the
musicians themselves to the city, where they reached wide audiences, but were not always fairly
compensated or credited by the promoters who helped popularize their music.
Major historical events had significant impact on both the nature and the popularity of
roots music in America. For example, the social and economic changes brought about by WWII
had an enormous effect on Blues and white Country music. Before the war, both had been
largely regional, developing different styles in different areas, and reaching mainly local
audiences. Huge shifts of population combined with economic changes driven by technology and
mass media made this music popular with broader audiences. The move from a rural to an urban
environment exposed music to new and diverse influences. Musical styles, instrumentation and
lyrics were modified accordingly. Similar dynamics followed historical transformations such as
6

the Great Depression, the Dustbowl, westward expansion, the student movements of the 1960s
and the globalization of America at the end of the century.
Musical genres-past

1.BLUES
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated
in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States around the
end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed
simple narrative ballads. The blues form, ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and
roll is characterized by specific chord progressions, of which the twelve-bar blues chord
progression is the most common.The blues genre is based on the blues form but possesses other
characteristics such as specific lyrics, bass lines, and instruments. Blues can be subdivided into
several subgenres ranging from country to urban blues that were more or less popular during
different periods of the 20th century. Best known are the Delta, Piedmont, Jump, and Chicago
blues styles.
The first publication of blues sheet music was in 1908: Antonio Maggio's "I Got the
Blues" is the first published song to use the word blues. Hart Wand's "Dallas Blues" followed in
1912; W. C. Handy's "The Memphis Blues" followed in the same year. The first recording by an
African American singer was Mamie Smith's 1920 rendition of Perry Bradford's "Crazy Blues".
But the origins of the blues date back to some decades earlier, probably around 1890. They are
very poorly documented, due in part to racial discrimination within American society, including
academic circles, and to the low literacy rate of the rural African American community at the
time. The social and economic reasons for the appearance of the blues are not fully known.The
first appearance of the blues is often dated after the Emancipation Act of 1863,between 1870 and
1900, a period that coincides with Emancipation and, later, the development of juke joints as
places where Blacks went to listen to music, dance, or gamble after a hard day's work.Blues
lyrics often deal with personal adversity, the music itself goes far beyond self-pity.
The blues is also about overcoming hard luck, saying what you feel, ridding yourself of
frustration, letting your hair down, and simply
having fun. The best blues is visceral, cathartic, and
starkly emotional. From unbridled joy to deep
sadness, no form of music communicates more
genuine emotion.
Covered by a wide range of artists including
The Yardbirds, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, and the
Grateful Dead, Reed is one of the most influential
musicians to ever pick up a guitar. The quality and
thoroughness of this compilation is as much a
tribute to the excellent work of Rhino records as it
is to Reed himself. Too many blues greats are
undermined by shoddy and inferior greatest hits
packages that have more holes than a rack of
bowling balls, butThe Very Best Of Jimmy Reed hits
7

all the high points, and there are plenty. Reed died
at age 50 in 1976 from complications related to
alcoholism, but his place in music history had been
long ago secured.
Jimmy Reed Blues Masters: The Very
Best Of

Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones
(August 29, 1924 December 14, 1963), was an
American singer and pianist, who has been cited as
"the most popular black female recording artist of
the '50s". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed
and recorded in a wide variety of styles including
blues, R&B, and traditional pop music,and gave
herself the title of "Queen of the Blues". She is a
1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame in 1993.She was at once one of the most beloved and controversial singers of the mid-
20th century - beloved to her fans, devotees, and fellow singers; controversial to critics who still
accuse her of selling out her art to commerce and bad taste.

Dinah Washing

Music can change the world because it can change people. Bono

2.GOSPEL
At its most basic level, gospel music is sacred music. It is a unique phenomenon of
Americana which had its earliest iterations toward the end of the nineteenth century. It is folk
music which suggests that it and its secular counterparts are greatly influenced by each other.
Just as much of the contemporary gospel music of today sounds like R & B and Hip-Hop, so did
most of the early gospel music sound like the Blues.Gospel, meaning "good news," derived its
name from it close connection with the gospels (books in the New Testament). As we look at the
common themes in the gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John, we find many
references to Gods goodness and mercy.
In order to reach the widest possible audience, there are no "style" restrictions on gospel
music; only the thematic content remains constant. Coming out of an oral tradition, gospel music
typically utilizes a great deal of repetition. This is a carryover from the time when many post-
Reconstruction blacks were unable to read. The repetition of the words allowed those who could
not read the opportunity to participate in worship. Gospel music over the centuries has
ministered to the downtrodden and disenfranchised. To sing about a God who comes in the nick
of time to deliver his people from uncomfortable circumstances is a consistent theme, which has
been at the core of gospel music. This music has been enjoyed for many decades and it continues
to grow in its variety and sound.
8

Gospel music has a history which can be traced to the 18th century. During this time,
hymns were lined and repeated in a call and response fashion and the Negro spirituals and work
songs came on the scene. Because the enslaved Africans attended their masters worship
services, the seventeenth century influences on Negro spirituals and work songs were traditional
hymns the enslaved Africans heard in worship. Worship services served several purposes; not
only were they a means by which the Africans could be monitored, but they also served as a
reinforcement of the slavery indoctrination. Quite often readings were from St. Paul where made
to being good servants and loving, obeying, and trusting ones master. At this time it was also
illegal for more than a handful of blacks to congregate without supervision. This meant that the
blacks were not free to worship on their own they had to attend worship services with their
master. At these services they would grow closer in their understanding of Christian doctrine and
role that music played in that experience. The worship music (hymns) of the whites masters
became the backdrop for the music the enslaved Africans would use at their eventual worship
meetings.As we listen to gospel music today with its sometimes downtrodden themes, it
continues to be curious how such beauty and richness can emanate from troubled times.
In the tradition of the black church, call and response in singing and in speaking has been
and continues to be a foundation on which the gospel is delivered. Through this participatory
delivery system beliefs are reinforced. There is an expectation that when there is agreement with
either the spoken word or song because of either its content or its contexts that verbal affirmation
will be given. Those who are witnessing, speaking, or singing are encouraged by the responses
and those who are about to experience issues are empowered to be victorious.Gospel music can
stir many different emotions. The audience for this spiritually moving idiom continues to grow
as do the types of venues where it can be heard. No longer bound to the walls of the American
church, gospel music captures the creative and spiritual imaginations of increasing numbers of
international audiences. For gospel singers and
listeners, making a joyful noise unto the Lord is
what the music is about and it invites the
participation of all to come together, honor the
past, look forward to the future, and through
song, renew our faith.
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935
August 16, 1977) was an American singer,
musician, and actor. One of the most
significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he
is often referred to as "the King of Rock and
Roll", or simply, "the King".Presley is one of the
most celebrated musicians of 20th century.
Commercially successful in many genres,
including pop, blues and gospel, he is the best-
selling solo artist in the history of recorded
music. He was nominated for 14 Grammys and
won three, receiving the Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award at age 36. He has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.


9

Elvis Presley
If you want to make beautiful music, you must play the black and the white notes together.
Richard M. Nixon
3.COUNTRY MUSIC
Country music is a genre of American popular music that originated in the rural regions
of the Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from the southeastern genre of
American folk music and Western music. Blues modes have been used extensively throughout
its recorded history.Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes with generally
simple forms and harmonies accompanied by mostly string instruments such as banjos, electric
and acoustic guitars, fiddles, and harmonicas.
The term country music gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to the earlier term
hillbilly music; it came to encompass Western music, which evolved parallel to hillbilly music
from similar roots, in the mid-20th century. The term country music is used today to describe
many styles and subgenres. In 2009 country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre
during the evening commute, and second most popular in the morning commute in the United
States.
Country music is the music of peoples real lives, and those real lives often used to be
very difficult, which is why so much classic country contains themes of hard work, toil and
sorrow. But now, except for in the most rural areas, the culture has experienced a paradigm shift
away from family-owned agriculture, and that shift is apparent in the subject matter of
contemporary country. Its still the music of
peoples real lives its just that those real lives
are more and more about partying with your friends
and cruising around town showing off in your truck,
as opposed to losing your crop to an early frost, or
burying your brother because he died from
tuberculosis.
James Charles "Jimmie" Rodgers
(September 8, 1897 May 26, 1933) was an
American country singer in the early 20th century,
known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling.
Among the first country music superstars and
pioneers, Rodgers was also known as "The Singing
Brakeman", "The Blue Yodeler", and "The Father of
Country Music".When the Country Music Hall of
Fame and Museum was established in 1961,
Rodgers was one of the first three (the others were
music publisher and songwriter Fred Rose and
singer-songwriter Hank Williams) to be inducted.
Rodgers was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and, as an early influence, to the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. "Blue Yodel No. 9" was selected as one of The Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Rodgers was ranked No. 33 on
CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003.
10

Jimmie Rodgers


Past Musical Growth
Relating to the Present

Music has evolved slowly within many
different cultures over thousands of years. Its
growth has always been dependent upon cultural
expansion, innovation, and societal acceptance or rejection. With the growth of the music
industry in the recently industrialized and increasingly globalized human societies, there has
been a shift in the sub-currents which guide musical expansion, growth and innovation. The
modern music industry has spawned many conventions which, in turn, lead to new,
progressive conventions or anti-conventions. Eventually, through various processes of cultural
rejection and acceptance, anti-conventions become conventions which spawn new anti-
conventions and so the cycle repeats. Although this cycle is reminiscent of traditional
musical growth, it is fundamentally differentiated from tradition in its current industrialized
context. The adoption of capitalism, and its inarguable ties to industrialization in modern
societies, has created a will among its constituents to profit from all that can be sold. Modern
musical progression has unfortunately been caught-up in this modern-day gold rush.
Traditionally, musical composition and creativity in the utilization of compositional techniques
has been a symbol of excellence and accomplishment. Musical growth has always been slowed
by the even-slower growth of societies. Social acceptance and expectations were key to the
allowance of specific musical progressions (i.e. churches declaring tritones or compositions
written in evenly divided meters as evil, totalitarian rulers ordering strict punishments to
composers that strayed from acceptable boundaries, etc.). Finally, the imminent birth of
democracy and individual liberties was to be a revolution in musical progression and the
beginning of the end of such cultural boundariesor was it? Throughout the nineteenth century,
musical creativity flourished, finally relieved from the binds of the Classical Era, leading the
way to the somewhat absurd extremes of the twentieth century. At the turn of the twentieth
century, the progression of musical composition seemed to be thriving at an almost unstoppable
rate of expansion.


Creating new boundaries
As industrialization began to break production thresholds in the beginning of the
twentieth century, musical instruments, scores, and transcripts became increasingly accessible to
11

capitalist constituents (the common man, woman, child, or family within capitalist societies),
thus feeding the indulgences of amateur hobbyists musicians and the emerging industrialist
leaders that capitalized on the venture. Under the guise of practicality, these industrialists paved
the way for the eventual creation of the music industry. More individuals began creating music
and writing songs than ever before. Revolutionary recording technologies were being developed.
The use of electricity and electronic components in recording technology and instrument
design, construction, and implementation fundamentally changed the evolution of music
indefinitely. The promise shown in the early twentieth century was phenomenally rich and
plentiful, however, bittersweet and not without certain irreparable changes.With the increase in
recordings being produced, and the seemingly endless demand for new music, record company
executives needed something to advertise to the masses. This product needed to be catchy, easily
understood, and quickly and efficiently emotionally relevant. They turned to folk musicians, of
which there was no shortage of eager and willing participants, to fill this demand. These
advertising campaigns proved to be a capital success, leading to startling growth, expansion, and
influence. The masses were hooked. Audiences fed upon the shallow emotions portrayed in the
folk music, to which, they could easily relate. Love, despair, loneliness, spirituality, and societal
themes became prevalent in almost every production. Quite immediately, the music industry
became a service provided to consumers and musical progression became dependent upon
demand, rather than scientific study. Ironically, for the very first time musical composition had
finally broken through its boundaries and evolved into something unexpected.


Starting From Scratch
Folk music, now dubbed popular music, had begun its own evolution. Pulling largely
from classic compositional techniques, simple and easily recognizable, and repackaged in a
contemporary wrapper, this evolution was viewed as a continuation of compositional evolution.
Blues, Jazz, Country, Soul, Rocknew forms of music? These genres cannot be regarded as
new; all of these styles are derived from compositional techniques that have existed for hundreds
of years.
Blues was formed as a style of music that was almost instantly playable by any musician,
expressly amateurs. Its basis being, a system of dominant and secondary dominant chords. Jazz
was a sloppy combination of blues and poorly executed classical techniques.
Rock and Roll was glorified beyond reasonable extents as a revolution in music, when it
was really just a childish and simplified take on the blues, using electronic instruments as toys to
display childhood angst during the self-indulgent social shift of the 1960s and 1970s. This genre
provoked a more severe and even simpler rebellion labeled punk rock, that seemed to almost
embrace the pure hatred of conventional music and selfishly ravage musical composition in the
name of trite and impatient childhood angst. These shifts spawned two related genres in the
1980s: electronic rock, a take on rock and roll, however, embracing simple melodies and the
excessive use of electronic instruments, and metal, embracing a mixture of punk rock and
traditional rock, yet lacking in lyrical content consistent with the growing trends in most genres.
12

Sadly, traditional musical composition became largely uninteresting to society as self-
indulgent amateurs captivated the masses.

The Result-music in todays world

Music in todays world has changed for the good and the bad. Todays generation is
different from yesterdays therefore the music industry has changed for just that purpose. Music
today accompanies youth, teens, and also young adults. There is a whole broad spectrum of how
music has changed. It has change lyrically, financially, and overall music has changed in general.
Music today is powerful and has a lot more meaning than just sounds and words. Music is so
powerful that it has the power to manipulate and influence individuals in a positive or negative
way. There is so much meaning behind music the lyrics nowadays. Music can tell an artist life
story, things they have been through, and even their opinion on certain views. Artists take music
more then just a way to get money (even though the moneys nice) but a tool to vent .Go back in
time a few decades, to the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Lots of the bands from these eras have become internationally famous, and their music
has become classic. Artists like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith,
Nirvana, and so many other successful bands. All of these bands became famous, because they
had something thats hard to find today- real talent. Many of the bands of the past wrote music
that had real depth to it. Their lyrics were meaningful, they wrote their own music, they played
multiple instruments, they didnt use auto tune or synthesizers, and many other factors. Using
something like auto tune was considered an insult back in the day. Today its almost on impulse,
and everyone is using it so its not much of an indignity anymore. Its more of the new regular,
which makes it obvious that some mainstream artists of today lack the real talent of the music of
the past.
The story of black music is also the tale of the enduring social struggles of American
history. Blues and gospel, the secular and sacred songs of everyday black folk, are both bound
up in sorrow, loss, despair, hope, redemption, resilience and dreams. While remaining
recognizable over many decades, the spirit and musical forms of these styles have influenced
much of the American music that has followed.




13



Music of the Past vs Today's Music- bands and singers

1.The Beatles
The Beatles is one of the most important bands in the history of music. The band was
formed in 1960 in Liverpool, England. The main members were John Lennon, Paul
McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr. They not only changed what rock 'n roll music
was about but also help change what society was going through in the insane sixties. The Beatles
first really came about in 1955 when Paul McCartney joined up with John Lennon's band, The
Quarrymen. Lennon played lead guitar, McCartney was on rhythm guitar with Stu Sutcliffe on
bass and several fill-in drummers. A short time later thirteen year old George Harrison joined
them and took over the lead guitar job from Lennon. Peter Best became their regular drummer in
1960. Also around this time they changed the band's name to "The Silver Beatles", then shortly
after that to just "The Beatles".The group went through several names. They adopted names such
as the Johnny and the Moondogs, The Silver Beetles, The Beatals, The Silver Beatles, and
eventually The Beatles.
After 1966, the Beatles retreated into the studio, no longer bound by the restriction of
having to perform live. Their image as pin-up pop stars was also undergoing a metamorphosis
and when they next appeared in photographs, all four had moustaches, and Lennon even boasted
glasses, his short-sightedness previously concealed by contact lenses. Their first recording to be
released in over six months was Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever, which broke their long
run of consecutive UK number 1 hits, as it was kept off the top by Engelbert Humperdinck 's
schmaltzy Release Me. Nevertheless, this landmark single brilliantly captured the talents of
Lennon and McCartney and is seen as their greatest pairing on disc.
Releasing album after album and motion pictures, The Beatles were indeed on top of the
world. But in August 1969 Lennon announced that he wanted a divorce from the group, the band
was finished. He insisted, however, that the break up remain quiet. It was kept hidden until April
10, 1970 when McCartney decided to formally dissolve the group. Many blamed the break up of
the Beatles on Yoko Ono and Linda McCartney. Others felt that the Beatles had run their course,
and it was just their time. Whatever was the cause of their break up, it ended an era but left
behind a legacy that will never be forgotten.
14


2.Beyonce Knowles
Born in Houston in September 1981,
Beyonc Giselle Knowles began performing at age
seven, winning upwards of 30 local competitions
for her dancing and vocal abilities. She also joined
her cousin Kelly Rowland and classmates LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett in forming an
adolescent vocal group. One of the most recognizable characters in modern-day R&B, Beyonc
first rose to fame as the siren-voiced centerpiece of Destiny's Child before embarking on a multi-
platinum solo career in 2001. Booming record sales, Grammy awards, movie
roles, and marriage to rapper/CEO Jay-Z combined to heighten her profile in the 2000s, making
the singer a virtual mainstay in the entertainment world. While some media outlets derisively
championed Paris Hilton as "the next Marilyn Monroe," Beyonc was a much better contender
for the role, her glittering pop culture persona only matched by her success onscreen and on
record. Before the release of the third Destiny's Child
album, Survivor in 2001, Beyonce has begun branching out into acting, and later began work on
her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love. The album was a huge hit when it was released in
2003, selling millions of copies. In 2004, Destiny's Child managed to put out one last album,
Destiny Fulfilled, before the group's members decided to focus on solo careers. Since then,
Beyonce has continued with both her acting and singing careers, and has also branched out into
modeling and fashion. Beyonc won five Grammy Awards in 2004, including Best Female R&B
Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song and Best Contemporary R&B Album. She also won a BRIT
Award for International Female Solo Artist. Beyonc describes herself as having a Type-A
personality. She also admitted to always liking to have
the last word.

3.Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway known by his stage name
Stevie Wonder, is an American musician, singer-
songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. A
child prodigy, he has become one of the most creative
and loved musical performers of the late 20th
15

century.Wonder signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of eleven and continues to perform
and record for Motown as of the early 2010s. He has been blind since shortly after birth.Among
Wonder's works are singles such as "Superstition", "Sir Duke", "You Are the Sunshine of My
Life" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You"; and albums such as Talking Book, Innervisions and
Songs in the Key of Life.He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-
two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist, and has sold over 100 million
albums and singles, making him one of the top 60 best-selling music artists.Wonder is also noted
for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin
Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a holiday in the United States.In 2009, Wonder was named a United
Nations Messenger of Peace.In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time
Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with Wonder at number five.


4.Ella Fitzgerald
Her full name was Ella Jane Fitzgerald, she is
known as "The First Lady of Song." Her wide vocal
range enabled her to sing different music genres
including jazz and ballads. She was also known for her
incredible scat-singing. Ella sold over 40 million albums
and won 13 Grammys. She worked with many music
legends including Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie,
Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman.
Ella's schedule didn't slow down despite her
health problems. She went on worldwide tours,
supported several charities, received numerous accolades
such as the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal
of Arts, Commander of Arts and Letters award and
honorary doctorates from several prestigious
universities. In 1991 she had her last concert at Carnegie
Hall. She made her singing debut at 17 on November 21,
1934 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.She pulled in a weekly audience at the Apollo
and won the opportunity to compete in one of the earliest of its famous "Amateur Nights"

5.Louis Amstrong
Great jazz improviser, the founding father of jazz and international ambassador of swing.
He was fondly called "Satchmo" which is short for Satchelmouth, he was also called
"Ambassador Satch," "Dippermouth" and "Pops." Armstrong was a very jolly person which
endeared him to many. He taught himself how to play the cornet/trumpet and became a band
leader and singer. He contributed much to jazz music, especially his particular innovative style.
He invented the sound of swing and proved that jazz wasn't merely for ensembles, but also for
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soloists. Some of his well known works are: "Heebie
Jeebies," "Mack the Knife," "West End Blues" and
"Hello Dolly." Armstrong did, on average, 300
concerts per year. He was also a published writer and
an actor. Early in his career he played with different
bands including Kid Ory, King Oliver and Fletcher
Henderson's band. Later in his career he worked with
Bing Crosby, the Mills Brothers and the group All
Stars. Renowned for his charismatic stage presence
and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing,
Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz
music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he
was widely regarded as a profound influence on
popular music in general. Armstrong was one of
the first truly popular African-American entertainers
to "cross over", whose skin color was secondary to his
music in an America that was severely racially divided.

Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music in them Louis Amstrong

6. Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American
recording artist, singer, actress, producer, and model. In
2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most
awarded female act of all time. Houston was one of the
world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 200
million records worldwide.She released six studio
albums, one holiday album and three movie soundtrack
albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum,
platinum or gold certification.
Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music
charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with
her video for "How Will I Know," influenced several
African American women artists who follow in her
footsteps. Her debut album, 'Whitney Houston', was
released in 1985 and became the biggest-selling album by
a debut artist. Several hit singles, including 'Saving All
My Love For You', 'How Will I Know', 'You Give Good
Love', and 'The Greatest Love of All', were released from the album, setting her up for a Beatles-
beating seven consecutive US number ones. The album itself sold 3 million copies in its first
year in the US and went on to sell 25 million worldwide, winning her the first of her six
Grammies. Her growing superstar status ensured she was invited to record 'One Moment In
Time', the title track for an album to celebrate the Olympics being held in Los Angeles. Her
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reputation as a "diva" was also on the rise: Whitney's participation in 1988 in Nelson Mandela's
70th Birthday concert.
CONCLUSIONS

We must understand the past to understand the present, and what the future will almost
inevitably produce. Considering the growth of the music industry, most technological
advancements in recording and music production have catered to these trends. Whether analog to
digital, live recordings to sampled recordings, tape hiss and distortion to digital clarity, all have
been in the pursuit of producing a more polished product to present to the consumer audience of
the now massive music industry. This knowledge is indescribably invaluable to modern music
producers and recording engineers.
We need to get back to studying music as a natural science.We need to return to
traditional music exploration, even if it does not lead to immediate capitalization. The music
industry needs revolution and reorganization. We are the present and the future of the music
industry, and as musical creators it is pertinent that we be the change that is so sorely needed
within this industry. Discussion of musical genres can often get contentious, confusing and
with the proliferation of micro-genres quite silly. Still, we can all agree that the big ones
jazz, pop, rock have been pretty useful over the last six decades.
Music, along with any other artform, reflects the current culture more than it shapes the
culture. Music has changed because the culture has changed. Its content (lyrics) reflects today's
attitudes and priorities. Music has evolved slowly within many different cultures over thousands
of years. Its growth has always been dependent upon cultural expansion, innovation, and
societal acceptance or rejection. With the growth of the music industry in the recently
industrialized and increasingly globalized human societies, there has been a shift in the sub-
currents which guide musical expansion, growth and innovation. The modern music industry
has spawned many conventions which, in turn, lead to new, progressive conventions or anti-
conventions. Eventually, through various processes of cultural rejection and acceptance, anti-
conventions become conventions which spawn new anti-conventions and so the cycle repeats.
Music today accompanies youth, teens, and also young adults. There is a whole broad
spectrum of how music has changed. It has change lyrically, financially, and overall music has
changed in general. Music today is powerful and has a lot more meaning than just sounds and
words. Music is so powerful that it has the power to manipulate and influence individuals in a
positive or negative way. There is so much meaning behind music the lyrics nowadays.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.wikipedia.com
http://www.psychologytoday.com
http://www.evolutionmusicpartners.com/
http://method-behind-the-music.com/history/history
http://www.musicandhistory.com/