Creating
Harmony from Cacophony Voices of Pensacola Hosts Jazz Expert by Dakota Parks t the young age of four years old, Dr. Joan Cartwright WomWoen Blues rkers e First Civil Rights Th walked onto a stage for the first time to perform in front of thousands of people, unaware that she would later spend most of her life revolving around the stage: on tour, lecturing, writing and advocating for female musicians. Over her 40+ year career as a jazz and blues musician, vocalist and composer, she rubbed shoulders with some ht Dr. Joan Carghtrig of the greatest musicians in the world. Cartwright is an author of 14 books, including her memoir, and books about poetry, women in music, the history of jazz and blues and the business and market- ing of music. The National League of American Pen Women and African American Heritage Society of Pensacola will be hosting Dr. Cartwright at the Voices of Pensacola via Zoom at 2pm on March 14, where she will be presenting on her book Blues Women: The First Civil Rights Workers.
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“ You have to get mad first before you can try to fix something.” “For about 36 years, I toured five continents, 22 countries and several states,” Dr. Cartwright said. “Over that period, I worked with hundreds of male musicians—and only six women. I started doing research and, quite frankly, I got mad. You have to get mad first before you can try to fix something, so then I started writing.” Cartwright became interested in the stories and lives of the female musicians that pioneered blues music, including Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Eartha Kitt to name a few. Through studying their lyrics and lives, she came to realize
that these women were singing songs embodying the black experience and calling out for liberation, healing and civil rights, many of which were long before the Civil Rights Movement began. Her book tells the stories of Eartha Kit being blacklisted for speaking out against the Vietnamese War and Josephine Baker being the only woman to speak at the March on Washington where Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Originating out of the South by enslaved African Americans and hailed “Devil’s music,” by early crude listeners, blues created a foundation for catharsis and a