Are blackness and whiteness useful concepts in the study of popular music?
It seems pointless trying to define music as ‘black’ or ‘white’ because most genres of music have derived from black culture. Blues music came from the black slaves singing in the fields and it’s the only genre of music that has specific notes which are used only in that genre. These ‘blues notes’ were key in the development of rock music.
It is very difficult to define music into one genre. This is because very often the genre can change throughout an artists’ album or even partway through a song. This means that ‘blackness’ and ’whiteness’ are not useful concepts at all in the study of popular music.
These terms only seem to be useful in the marketing of music. Being able to have a ‘black’ and ‘white’ section in music shops is helpful because it defines different artists into categories. This makes it easier for the consumer to find the artist they like.
1 comment:
The blue note, despite its name, is not exclusively used in Blues music but also in other genres such as jazz, country and even folk music. There is certainly no question that music performed by black artists played a pivotal role in the early history of modern popular music, particularly that of formative period of rock and roll. However, even in this genre the way that artists like Elvis and Chuck Berry blended (predominantly black) R n' B rhythms with elements of (predominantly white) hillbilly music to create a new form that we have come to know as rock and roll, is evidence of Shuker's suggestion that virtually all popular music is a hybrid of styles and cultures.
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