The music of the colorblind : how integrated music was created in a region of political and social segregation

Author

Damon. Brooks

Graduation Date

2005

Document Type

Project

Program

Other

Program

Thesis/Project (M.S.S.)--Humboldt State University, Teaching American History, 2005.

Committee Chair Name

Delores Nason McBroome

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Music and race--Tennessee--Memphis., Humboldt State University -- Projects -- Social Science, Popular music--Tennessee--Memphis., Humboldt State University -- Projects -- Teaching American History

Abstract

The importance of Memphis, Tennessee in the history of popular American music cannot be overstated. If Memphis had produced just the Sun recordings of Elvis Presley in the fifties alone, its status as a city rich in musical tradition would be secure. But there is so much more music that came from Memphis: Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Howlin' Wolf, Roy Orbison, Booker T. and the M.G.s, Otis Redding, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Isaac Hayes, Albert King, Sam and Dave, and Al Green to list just a few. Memphis helped shape almost all subsequent rock and roll. The synthesis of black and white musical styles that occurred there in the fifties was unique. The Stax recordings of sixties soul music and seventies funk continued Memphis' history of mixing black and white music together. Perched on the banks of the Mississippi River, the city also deserves credit as a historical locale for blues music, the predecessor of rock and roll. Gospel music helped to define the sound of the music that came from Memphis as well. This project will attempt to detail the geographic and cultural origins of the different types of music that blended together to become the "Memphis sound." The project will also explore the elements of Memphis that made it such a unique musical petri dish. Why was it that in a city afflicted with racial tension, and in a region stricken with racism, that the musical worlds of black and whites could be fused into new art forms? The presence of gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, rockabilly, country, funk and soul music in Memphis, and its location as a river trading port are important factors that will be explored as well. The importance of Memphis radio, and the individuals who spoke over those airwaves are also vitally important and will be discussed. An entrepreneurial spirit that exists in Memphis and Sam Phillips's unique vision of racial harmony are also factors that shaped the music, and are parts of the story that will be told. The project will also illustrate the evolution and synthesis of black and white musical styles in Memphis. A classroom lesson plan is included that explores the importance of not only Memphis, but also other cities that have made important contributions to American musical history. These materials could be used by teachers during their study of the civil rights era, (state standard 11.10, Students analyze the development of federal civil rights and voting rights). Teachers might also find it useful when teaching the culture of the fifties, sixties or seventies (state standard 11.9, Students analyze the economic boom and social transformation of post World War II America in terms of: forms of popular culture with emphasis on their origins and geographic diffusion). Using both primary and secondary documents, as well as the wealth of recordings from Sun, Stax and Atlantic studios, conclusions about Memphis' cultural uniqueness and contributions to the history of American music will be made.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/1c18dj49t

Share

 
COinS