From Chain Gangs To Pop Soul, The Legacy of Enslaved African Americans Is Beyond Measure
The People of Africa — prior to being enslaved by White Men — were happy. This general statement sounds flippant but it serves as a starting point for a dig-down into the MUSICAL LEGACY of ENSLAVED PEOPLES from AFRICA in the AMERICAS.
The people of AFRICA, had for many, many millennia, prior to their enslavement, organised themselves into societies and lived free in the manner of their culture and communities. And by saying that they were HAPPY, I mean that their souls, their lives, their culture, their languages, their MUSIC, their communities and more, had been left in peace since the birth of civilization in Africa around 200,000 years ago.
Then the WHITE MAN arrived in Africa and hunted them down, bringing them to the Americas and the Caribbean, to work on plantations and in various other industries, where they worked for NO PAY and endured centuries of abuse, torture and degradation.
They survived because of their MUSIC, imported with them in their hearts and soul, from Africa, along with the guts, determination, intelligence, vision, rage, a will-to-live, a justified desire for revenge and retribution, and more. These enslaved Africans found ways to express their emotions, aspirations, and cultural heritage through various means, including music and songs.
Music was an integral part of African culture, and even in the face of the most adverse circumstances, enslaved peoples found solace in the rhythms, melodies, and lyrics of traditional African songs. Enslaved Africans brought their religious beliefs from Africa, and music played a significant role in their spiritual practices. They developed a unique form of Christianity that blended African religious elements with the Christianity brought by their captors. These Spirituals not only conveyed religious messages but also provided hope and resilience in the face of suffering.
Often too, their songs carried hidden messages that allowed slaves to communicate secretly or plan escapes or revolts. By using coded language and metaphors, they could share information without the slaveholders understanding the true meaning behind the lyrics.
Such was the classic spiritual song “WADE IN THE WATER”, which encouraged slaves to escape by wading in the rivers and throw of the bloodhounds employed by the slave patrols to round the people up.
Crossing a river or stream could throw off scent-trailing bloodhounds, making it harder for slave catchers to track them. Additionally, “wading in the water” also refers to using waterways as a means of travel to reach freedom, particularly when seeking refuge in areas where slave patrols could not easily follow.
Slave communities utilized code songs to communicate covertly, often passing information about escape plans, safe houses, or upcoming rebellions. By disguising crucial information within the lyrics, they could share critical details without arousing suspicion from overseers or slaveholders who might overhear them singing.
Given the nature of oral traditions, the authorship of spirituals is often attributed to the collective creativity and experiences of the enslaved community rather than to any individual composer. The songs emerged as a means of expression, communication, and coping with the harsh realities of slavery.
Through their songs, these enslaved peoples passed down stories, myths, and traditions from one generation to another, helping to preserve their African cultural heritage despite the White Man’s attempts to erase it.
Music also provided an emotional outlet, enabling slaves to process their pain, anger, and longing for freedom. Singing together also fostered a sense of community and solidarity among slaves.
The enslaved peoples of Africa in the Americas and Caribbean needed music to survive. The songs they wrote together mirrored the drumming beats of their homelands.
Spirituals were religious songs with strong African musical influences. Some well-known spirituals include “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Wade in the Water,” and “Go Down Moses.”
The Chain Gangs sang to help them cope with the pain and hardship of this back-breaking work. Slaves often sang work songs to coordinate their labour, making their tasks more manageable and, in some cases, even using them to maintain a sense of rhythm and hope during arduous tasks. Examples include “Pick a Bale of Cotton” and “John Henry.”
Field Hollers were solo vocalizations that slaves used to express their emotions, either to release tension or to communicate with others across the fields.
Ring Shouts were a form of religious song and dance that originated in Africa and survived in African American communities. Participants would form a circle and move counterclockwise while clapping and singing.
So, how did we get from Ring Shouts, Call & Response Chain Gang songs and Spirituals to the POP SOUL of today? The evolution of Spiritual Music into Blues and then to POP SOUL was a complex process that reflected the changing social and cultural landscape of African American experiences in the United States. While Spirituals and Blues share some musical elements and themes, they emerged in distinct historical contexts and served different purposes.
Spirituals often incorporated biblical themes and Christian hymns, reflecting the fusion of African musical traditions with Christianity brought by their captors. Spirituals served as a means of expressing religious faith, offering hope, and providing solace in the face of immense hardship.
Spirituals were deeply rooted in African musical traditions, which emphasized complex rhythms, call-and-response patterns, and strong vocal expressions. These elements were integrated with Christian hymns, resulting in a distinctive religious musical style. The lyrics of spirituals often focused on biblical stories, freedom, liberation, and a yearning for a better life beyond the hardships of slavery. They carried messages of hope, faith, and resilience.
Spirituals were typically structured around call-and-response patterns, where a lead singer or group would sing a line, and the congregation or choir would respond. They had a more straightforward and predictable structure.
The Blues emerged after the abolition of slavery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the period known as the Great Migration. African Americans moved from the rural South to urban areas in the North, seeking better economic opportunities and escaping the oppressive Jim Crow laws.
The Blues reflected the struggles and challenges faced by African Americans during this era of urbanization and industrialization. The Blues drew upon various musical influences, including African music, work songs, field hollers, and elements of Western music. The Blues featured a more secular approach and often expressed personal emotions, heartache, and the hardships of everyday life. The lyrics of The Blues dealt with personal experiences, heartbreak, loss, poverty, and the challenges of urban life.
While both spirituals and blues expressed emotions, The Blues delved into the raw realities of life, often expressing feelings of sadness and despair. The Blues followed a more flexible and less structured format, with a repeating musical pattern of 12 bars (12-bar blues). This pattern allowed for improvisation and variation, giving blues musicians more creative freedom.
Here’s the irreplaceable JOHN LEE HOOKER playing his sweet style in this excerpt from The Blues Brothers movie.
Overall, while there are connections between Spirituals and Blues, they are distinct musical genres that evolved in response to different historical contexts and social realities.
The Blues, as a more secular and urban musical form, reflected the changing experiences of African Americans after the end of slavery, while Spirituals remained deeply rooted in their historical origins as songs of faith and resistance during slavery.
And so to POP SOUL.
The evolution of Blues into today’s BLACK MUSIC and BLACK-INFLUENCED MUSIC is a fascinating journey that involves a combination of cultural influences, technological advancements, and the creative innovations of musicians over time. This journey can be traced by looking at several key developments:
The Great Migration
During the early 20th century, millions of African Americans moved from the rural South to urban centers in the North. This was known as the Great Migration. This mass migration brought together diverse musical traditions and cultural influences, creating a melting pot of musical ideas.
Urbanization and Industrialization
The urban environment provided African American musicians with greater exposure to a variety of musical styles, including jazz, gospel, ragtime, and Vaudeville. This exposure led to the cross-pollination of musical genres, contributing to the evolution of blues.
Technological Advancements
The invention of the phonograph and radio allowed blues music to be recorded and broadcasted, reaching a broader audience beyond the local communities. These technologies played a crucial role in popularizing blues and modern music in general.
Recording Industry
The emergence of the recording industry in the 1920s allowed blues artists to record and distribute their music more widely. Legendary blues artists like Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, and Blind Lemon Jefferson gained popularity through their recordings, helping to establish blues as a prominent genre.
Influence of Jazz
Blues and Jazz had a significant impact on each other, with artists borrowing ideas and techniques from both genres. This interplay contributed to the development of various jazz-blues hybrid styles, such as jump blues and rhythm and blues (R&B).
Evolution of Electric Instruments
The advent of electric guitars and amplification in the 1930s revolutionized the blues sound. Electric blues emerged, with artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Howlin’ Wolf pioneering this electrified style.
Rock ’n’ Roll
In the 1950s, rock ’n’ roll emerged as a genre that fused elements of blues, R&B, country, and gospel music. Early rock ’n’ roll pioneers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard drew heavily from blues and rhythm and blues, helping to further disseminate blues influence in popular music.
British Blues Revival
In the 1960s, British musicians like The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and Eric Clapton embraced and popularized blues music, leading to a revival of interest in blues both in the United States and internationally.
Blues Rock and Beyond
Blues rock, a fusion of blues and rock elements, became popular in the late 1960s and 1970s. Artists like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Stevie Ray Vaughan incorporated blues influences into their rock music, continuing to expand the blues’ reach.
Contemporary Music
Blues continues to influence a wide range of contemporary music genres, including rock, pop, hip-hop, and soul. Elements of blues can be found in the music of artists from diverse backgrounds, demonstrating the lasting impact of this influential genre, all thanks to the enslaved African Americans of yore.
So we’ve arrived in 2023 with a plethora of BLACK MUSIC HEROES who connect us with the legacy of AFRICAN ENSLAVED PEOPLES forced into the AMERICAS against their will, so many centuries ago.
There are so many stellar AFRICAN AMERICAN musicians, and we owe them the EARTH and more, but my favourite is John Legend — who sings and performs as though he is singing to his AFRICAN ancestors. You can hear the passionate connection to his enslaved ancestors — a cry of connection. Thank you John Legend — we love you!
To finish up — and it’s been so moving researching and writing this piece — there’s one last video to share, from the brilliant film The Color Purple, based on that amazing 1982 novel of the same name, by Alice Walker. Watch it to the end, and feel the emotion.
‘In Conversation’ is the RADIOSPARX magazine on MEDIUM. Check out the RADIOSPARX — About Us Video here — Change Your Music, Change Your Life with RADIOSPARX.
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