Celebrating the Black Music Month in style

Celebrating the

The month of June is recognized as the Black Music Month since 1979 when it received a decree of honor by the then-president Jimmy Carter for the very first time in America.

BLACK MUSIC MONTH in Style

The first celebration for Black Music begins explicitly on June 7. Black music is celebrated for the evident and numerous contributions that African-American musicians made in the US. However, Black Music Month is more than a mere celebration; it is educational, which helps to appreciate the historical events of the African-American cultural contributions in the US.

To celebrate the Black Music Month in style, let’s first go back a little bit. Let’s get to know how all these started, where and how it has come this far. Black music refers to a wide range of African-American music from a diverse collection of music genres composed of black Americans. Black music has its origins from the musical environment that rose from the historical events of slavery before the onset of the American civil war.

After the civil war came to an end, African-Americans were employed as musicians to play European music events such as military bands, which led to the development of a unique style of music, which was known as ragtime. As time went on, ragtime music steadily evolved into jazz, which is played even in the present day. In the 1940s, black musicians developed some other musical styles related to jazz music, which were known as rhythm and blues. In the 1960s, the black musicians went ahead to produce funk music, which developed into jazz-fusion in the 1970s.

In the 1980s, the black artists were still kicking it, and they introduced hip-hop into the world. In late 1980, they introduced the disco-inspired dance style music known as house music. Most of these music genres are still popular in the present day in America and all over the world at large.

From the little history, it is only fair to declare that the different forms of music developed by African-Americans are the inspiration behind the development of music in the US and all over the world in this century and in the centuries to come.

Black Music Month did not just turn to be a big deal all by itself. It is also crucial to recognize the able individuals who put their efforts to make it known o the world. Shortly after the Black Music was awarded a period for celebration, a black radio personality, Dyana Williams, together with the iconic duo Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, launched the Philadelphia soul sound that officially got the Black Music Month the recognition it needed.

As we mark the 41st anniversary for Black Music Month, let nothing stop you celebrating it in style. This year may not as good as the previous years’ celebration due to the persisting impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. But still, there are a couple of ways in which you can celebrate it in style while quarantined at home. Listen to those old jams, watch them on YouTube and other social media platforms and also ensure you subscribe and like their social media pages. To make it even more stylish, you can share the old black music hit songs with your friends and family both virtually and physically.

Also, it would be best if you share the history and the development of black music to your siblings and children to keep the spirit of black music alive even to future generations.

Works cited;

https://www.essence.com/ entertainment/what-is-blackmusic-month-june/. https://nationaldaycalendar. com/african-american-musicappreciation-month-june/ https://nmaahc.si.edu/blogpost/celebrating-black-musicmonth