In the Ken Burn's special on Swing Music there was a lot of mention that Benny Goodman was the "King of Swing" but this title was only given to him because of the fact that he was a white swing musician. Many people believe that the title should have went to Duke Ellington instead but although black musicians were listened to at this time, they were not as well respected as they should have been. They were used for their talents and then pretty much kicked to the curb (they could play in a hotel but could not stay in that same hotel).
While watching this video I was reminded of the fact that February is Black history month (yes I know I'm about 3 weeks late!) and this is a time to celebrate the achievements of African American inventors, activists, politicians, pioneers and of course musicians! It amazes me that people with such great talent were treated so poorly throughout history. But I am so proud of the fact that these African Americans that we celebrate had the ambition to keep doing what they were good at despite all the negativity they faced on a daily basis. I hope my generation can leave behind such a powerful legacy!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment