Jean-Michel Serres, Composer-pianist (Apfel Café Music): Website

7 January 20157 October 2021

Timeline of Black Music

1871 – A Gospel group Fisk Jubilee Singers was organized, and succeed in European tour.

1920 – The golden age of harlem renaissance culture.

1923 – Single record of ‘Downhearted Blues’ by Bessie Smith sold 800,000 copies.

1934 – First live show was held at Apollo Theater in Harlem.

First recording of Mahalia Jackson.

1941 – First recording of Muddy Waters.

1943 – First recording of Nat King Cole.

1947 – Magazine for African-Americans ‘Ebony’ was first published.

1955 – ‘I’ve Got a Woman’ by Ray Charles was a big hit (reached No.1 on the R&B chart), and Soul music was born.

‘Tutti-Frutti’ by Little Richard reached No.2 on the R&B chart and No.17 on the US chart.

The debut song of Chuck Berry ‘Maybellene’ reached No.1 on the R&B chart and No.5 on the US chart.

1956 – James Brown released his first hit tune ‘Please, Please, Please’ reached No.5 on the R&B chart.

First recording of Aretha Franklin (Gospel songs).

Sam Cooke recorded non Gospel songs.

1957 – The predecessor of Stax Records, Satellite Records was founded.

Jackie Wilson made a his major debut.

1958 – The predecessor of Motown Records, Tamla Records was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan.

1959 – ‘Try Me’ by James Brown was a big hit and reached No.1 on the R&B chart.

1962 – Otid Redding got signed to the Volt Records, subsidiary label of Stax Records.

1963 – The major debut song of Otis Redding ‘These Arms of Mine’ made a hit (No.20 on R&B chart).

1964 – ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ by The Supremes reached No.2 on the US chart.

Sam Cooke was shot dead in Los Angeles.

1965 – Sam Cooke’s single ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ released after his death, was hit in conjunction with the Civil Rights Movement (No.9 on the R&B chart, No.31 on the US chart).

‘My Girl’ by Temptations reached No.1 on the US chart.

1967 – The Monterey Pop Festival

Singles ‘Respect’ ‘Baby I Love You’, ‘(You Make Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ and ‘Chain of Fool’ by Aretha Franklin are big hits.

Otis Redding died in a plane crash.

DJ Kool Herc emigrated from Jamaica to Bronx, New York.

1968 – Concert of James Brown was broadcast live on TV and it restrain race riots.

Stax Records was independence from Atlantic Records.

1969 – The Woodstock Music & Art Fair

1970 – Al Bell became the Stax’s vice-president and a co-owner.

Debut of Jackson Five.

Jimi Hendrix died.

1972 – Motown relocate the office to Los Angeles.

1975 – DJ Kool Herc held his first block party.

1976 – Grandmaster Flash mixed records by two of turntables.

1977 – Grand Wizzard Theodore invented scratching.

1979 – Sugar Hill Records released the first rap record.

1980 – ‘The Breaks’ by Kurtis Blow became the first gold disc of rap.

1982 – Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force released ‘Planet Rock’.

A Hip Hop film ‘Wild Style’ released.

1984 – Run-D.M.C. released the first album, and the Oldschool Hip Hop came to the end.

Def Jam Recordings, held up sheer fresh sound, founded.

Schoolly D in Philadelphia released first Gangsta Rap single ever in Hip Hop.

1986 – Beastie Boys’ ‘Licensed to Ill’ became the first No.1 Hip Hop album on the Billboard pop album chart ever.

1987 – Groups, such as Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy and N.W.A., changed the paradigm of Hip Hop debut one after another.

1988 – Teddy Riley produced Bobby Brown’s album ‘My Prerogative’, and his own group Guy released debut album. He created a great sensation of New Jack Swing fuse Hip Hop and R&B.

1989 – ‘3 Feel Height and Rising’ by De La Soul explosive sold, and it indicated quite new sense of Hip Hop.

1992 – ‘The Chronic’ by Dr. Dre released, Gangsta Rap and G-Funk became a craze.

Mary J. Blige debut by ‘What’s the 411?’, and her musical style called ‘Hip Hop Soul’.

1994 – NAS and The Notorious B.I.G. released debut albums one after another, the boom of the Hip Hop proclaims gangsta and street taste has broken out.

1996 – ‘The Score’ by The Fugees suddenly became popular in worldwide.

1998 – Lauryn Hill released ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ which has world’s first Hip Hop album has female viewpoint.

1999 – White rapper Eminem, found talent by Dr. Dre, debut.

Genres and Styles of Black Music

■Blues

The basic form of blues is composed of 12 bars by a pattern of 3 cords cycles. Blues is developed in the whole of United States, and it became the root of evolution of R&B to Rock ’n’ Roll.

■Doo-wop

Doo-wop is a musical and chorus style of R&B. It consists of a main vocal and onomatopoetic back chorus (consists of high, middle and low parts) like ‘shang-a-lang’, ‘doooo -wop-wop’ and ‘bom-bom-bom’.

■Funk

Funk is the genre of black music created by James Brown in the middle of 1960s. Horns, brasses and strings are used percussive, emphasizing syncopation, Brown made the special polyrhythmic sound.
For example, successors of funk are P-Funk and Prince.

■Gospel (Black Gospel)

The Gospel music sung in black churches. Generally, the term ‘Gospel’ in popular music indicates Black Gospel. The Gospel music sung in protestant churches called ‘White Gospel’ or ‘Contemporary Christian Music’.

■Hip Hop

Hip Hop is a musical genre and a street culture originated by young blacks grew up in the ghetto on Bronx, New York City in mid 1970s. It contains not only music but also DJ style, scratching, breaking (dance style), graffiti art and fashion, and it crazed worldwide and had major impact to the 80’s music scene.

■House

Characteristics of House are electronic sound, danceable 4 beats and feeling succeeded by Soul music and its tempo is 115 to 130. Nowadays, House music is divided by various subgenres.

■Jazz

Jazz is the musical genre developed by the mix of european Classic music and african american music. It features improvisation performances by a band mainly consists of brass section. The birthplace of Jazz is regarded as New Orleans, and it spread over whole United States and evolved advanced, sophisticated and various styles.

■New Jack Swing (Swingbeat)

New Jack Swing is the fusion genre influenced by Hip Hop, R&B, Soul and Pops. The feature of it is fuse of breakbeats emphasized syncopation and melodic vocal styles of R&B and Pops.

■New Soul

New Soul is the appellation of distinctive and individual works of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway in the first half 70’s fly out traditional framework of R&B to Soul.

New Soul was generated from Northern Soul such as Motown Records. Motown had production system. On the system, producers and song writers seized real power, singers and groups acted at the bidding of them. In the situation, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder rose in revolt against the production system and were concerned in total production themselves. Similarly Curtis Mayfield founded his own label Curtom. They are not only singers and song writers but also artists produce total concept of work and indicated social messages. Their works signaled the ushering of the new era of Soul music.

New Soul was influenced by Funk music of James Brown and Sly&Family Stone, using latin percussions effectively, constructed sophisticated rhythms. And other characteristics of New Soul were tension voicing like Jazz, chorus works by overdub, adoption of electronic piano, synthesizer and wah-wah guitar. Their experiments can’t expect much of stereo typical production of Soul music. Their songs are but not love ballads and dance tunes, serious message songs hit in charts and heavy air played in the response to 70’s the Civil Rights Movement and the counterculture.

■R&B (Rhythm and Blues)

The word R&B means popular black music in late 1940s to 1950s. It succeeded and developed excitement of powerful beats and shouts of blues style vocal of Jump Blues. R&B possessed various styles such as solo singers to vocal groups. This genre became one of element of Rock n’ Roll, and in 60’s evolved a more sophisticated music Soul.

But, Nowadays the word ‘R&B’ means non-rap music, in other words the contemporary R&B is the general term of popular vocal black music.

■Rock and Roll (Rock ’n’ Roll)

Rock ’n’ Roll is the music of fusion of Jump Blues, Big Band Jazz and Country music. The word root of it is a slung of ‘sex’ had been talked in african americans, and Rock ‘n’ Roll named by a white DJ Alan Freed.
The word of origin of Rock ’n’ Roll is ‘We’re Gonna Rock, We’re Gonna Roll’ by Wild Bill Moore. And, the first Rock hit is mentioned that ‘Rocket 88’ by Jackie Brenston. ‘Rocket 88’ based a Jump Blues song ‘Cadillac Boogie’ by Jimmy Liggins and His Honeydrippers. Without heavy Jump Blues sound, Fats Domino can’t make his sound, Little Richard had begun from a imitation of the Jump Shouter style of Roy Brown and Billy Wright.

Louis Jordan changed the Jump Blues big band style to a small combo style. It gave a big impact to Chuck Berry. And, Berry was deeply influenced by the lyrics and singing style of Jordan. Like Jordan, Berry’s lyrics drew everyday life comical and have story lines.

Another root of Rock ’n’ Roll is Boogie Piano. Both Fats Domino and Little Richards are pianist. In the begging, they played straight Boogie-woogie Piano. And, Chuck Berry’s guitar riff is a replacement of left hand 8 beat patterns of Boogie Piano. From the time there isn’t 8 beat, only he played 8 beat rhythm in the early era of Rock ’n’ Roll.

Then whites musicians succeed these Rock ’n’ Roll styles. Bill Haley’s model was Louis Jordan’s small combo style and R&B or Jump sound. Elvis Presley was highly appreciated of singing like black by Sam Phillips, Sun Records. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones begun their career by covers of Rock ’n’ Roll and R&B.

■Techno

Originators of Techno are black young men, Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson (Belleville Three). And in the beginning, Techno is black music on underground scene in Detroit. But Techno spread over to the rest of world. Techno yielded and spread various styles and subgenres. But Techno comparatively has no barriers of subgenres. Subgenres of Techno are connected by the universality of Minimal Techno and Detroit Techno.

■Soul

Soul music is the genre lump together various styles of popular black music evolved from R&B in 1960s. The word ‘Soul’ contained the growing ethnic consciousness of African Americans, its background was the rise of Civil Rights Movement.

Genres of Club Music

■Ambient

The origin of ambient as environmental music is advocated by Brian Eno. This concept was succeeded in club music, and generally the sounds of the Orb and the KLF are called ambient.

■Drum ‘n Bass

Drum ’n Bass is a successor of Jungle. It added Jungle to serious feelings, complicate programmed breakbeats, boosted bass lines and Jazz elements. LTJ Bukem and Good Looking Records developed Jungle to art music. He mentioned his music as ‘Artcore Jungle’.

■Dub (Dubwise)

Dub is a mixing technique and a musical genres derived by Reggae. Its origin is making another version of songs by realtime editing of effecters (delay, echo, flanger and phaser) and a mixing console after usual mixing. Dub is a one of roots of present remix methods.

■Electronica

The word ‘Electronica’ means listening-oriented experimental electronic music and its songs. Electronica spread underground and club scene to art scene.

■Hip Hop

■House

The origins of House music are Philly Soul (Philadelphia), Sal Soul, Synth Pops and experimental German Rock. They fused in DJ play of Frankie Knuckles and his followers made House music by cheap drum machines and synthesizers.
Characteristics of House are electronic sound, danceable 4 beats and feeling succeeded by Soul music and its tempo is 115 to 130. Nowadays, House music is divided by various subgenres.

■Jungle

Jungle is the genre focuses breakbeats, and the tracks are mainly constructed by reconstructing of breakbeats. Its root is UK rave scene, and fused many and various musical styles such as Reggae, Dub, Hardcore Techno, Breakbeat Hardcore, Ragga Techno, Hip-Hop and Dancehall. Then it is a specific UK original dance music. Worldwide notable artists are Goldie, 4hero and A Guy Called Gerald.

■Lounge Music

Lounge Music is a musical genre played on lounges of hotels and clubs, café. And derived by it, Nowadays, Lunge music means comfortable slow tempo music in club scenes. Such as Electronica, Downtempo, Bossa Nova, Jazz and Post Classical.

■R&B

The word R&B means popular black music in late 1940s to 1950s. It succeeded and developed excitement of powerful beats and shouts of blues vocal of jump blues. R&B possessed various styles such as solo singers to vocal groups. This genre became one of element of Rock n’ Roll, and in 60’s evolved a more sophisticated music soul.

■Reggae

Reggae is a dance music originated in in Jamaica in the 1960s. The early era of reggae was influenced by the rastafari movement (rastafarism), the original religion or faith advocates African wisdom, and promoted those messages. The success of Bon Marley popularized reggae in worldwide.

■Techno

Techno is the brother genre of House music and born in deeply influenced by Chicago House, Techno Pop and Electro Hip Hop. The differences to Chicago House are seriousness, lyricism, cybernetic feeling, minimalism and higher BPM 125 to 140. Techno yielded and spread various subgenres. But Techno comparatively has no barriers of subgenres. Subgenres of Techno are connected by the universality of Minimal Techno and Detroit Techno.

■Trance

Trance is a main musical genre of rave culture. It developed in the 1990s in Germany. Characteristics of it are repetitions of melodic arpeggios by synthesizers, atmospheric effects express large space and its tempo between 130 to 160.

■Trip Hop

Trip Hop is composed by constructions of breakbeats similar to Hip Hop. But it contains sound of House and many genres of club music, experimental and instrumental elements and so on, was the Hip Hop of own interpretation by UK. Notable artists are DJ Shadow, Massive Attack, Coldcut and Tricky.

Author: Jean-Michel Serres

Timeline of Black Music

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