Content area
Full text
Publication: The Daily Toreador, , Texas Tech University , Lubbock, TX
Give credit where credit is due. Rock, hip-hop, blues, jazz, gospel, Rhythm & Blues and many other genres of music were started by Black artists and musicians. We wouldn’t have a wide variety of music if it wasn’t for the Black artists who trailblazed the music industry.
As a part of Black History Month, let’s honor the excellence and creativity of the musicians who shaped American culture for the better.
The first wave of Black music that changed our culture was gospel. I am genuinely envious of Black singers because of the powerhouse vocalists gospel produced. The gospel vocal style is so distinctive and utilizes so much technique. Every time I listen to gospel, I’m in awe.
Mind you, this was way before auto-tune was even a thing. If you go back and listen to gospel vinyl, all of that is pure talent. The breath control, the vibrato and the variety of ranges; it gets me emotional sometimes.
With queens like Mahalia Jackson and Shirley Caesar and kings James Cleveland and Kirk Franklin spearheading the gerne, the talent gospel singers have...