Answer for January 31, 2014 Yesterday’s Answer: Stevie Wonder – Black Man from the album “Songs in the key of life” “Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the Gods. So let us celebrate the struggle!” - Stevie Wonder When I was a mere lad, attending Sol R. Crown Elementary School on Chicago’s West Side (WEST SIIIIIIDE!!! – it is the BEST side), it was during the height of the Civil Rights struggle. Lucky for me, someone from the school’s administration insisted that we learn Black History. So each of us were given a copy of this book named “Great Negroes Past and Present” which gave vignettes of heroes and sheroes from the late 1800’s to 1960’s. I do kid you not, I read the cover off of this book! They didn’t have to force it on me at all, admittedly I spent more time on the sports and entertainment figures than on Marcus Garvey or Haile Selassie, but I was completely engrossed. I don’t know what they are doing relating to Black contributions now, but prior to this being introduced there was absolutely no mention of Blacks relating to American history in my courses. The only time we would be featured would be a small portion in American history on slavery. And on the rare occasion when Blacks were mentioned it was presented completely from a White person’s perspective. This is what bothers me about the way that American music is covered historically also. Now you can pretend all you want about whether Blacks contributed inventions and innovations to the general culture, but there is no denying that American music is deeply rooted in Black music. The contributions have been vast and so deep; But most of the books written on this subject use Blacks contributions as backdrops for advancing White heroes. Hell, it would appear if given the opportunity many of these historians would completely erase us if given the chance. If you are White person reading this, I am not suggesting you are directly at fault, but try to imagine being marginalized like this your whole existence. Imagine the psychological and sociological effects of this over the course of years. So Black History Month should have some relevance for you also. It is a time to undo the one sided view of history that has been presented throughout our education system. When this time of year comes around, I sense a discomfort often with my White friends and they always want to fact check me on various artifacts and details that are brought to light this time of the year. But with music and its history, there is much less debate. And some of my White friends who are more progressive and are looking for ways to balance the past and we talk about forward ideas. But I believe that much of what can be discussed is already been said in the music. Black Music is powerful stuff y’all. It like Black history should be studied at great length, digested, analyzed and discussed as often as possible. The song Black Man is a track on the 1976 Stevie Wonder album Songs in the Key of Life. The song was written by Wonder and Gary Byrd. The song was written about Wonders disappointment of how American history is dispersed in our society. Often when taught in all levels of the education process, it ignores or minimizes the contributions made by non-whites. The lyrics referred prominently to Crispus Attucks, widely considered a martyr of the American Revolution. Wonder deliberately chose this theme as the United States Bicentennial was underway at the time of recording in 1976. Later Gary Byrd and the GB Experience who was the leader of an African American male/female vocal/instrumental group from Brooklyn, New York, would re-emerge in 1983 with a modest hit “The Crown” that attempted to educate that historical neglect was a global issue. This song was released on the Mercury label and again Byrd and Wonder were the authors. ho had a single titled The Crown. It was released on in the US on Stevie Wonders short-lived Wondirection label. It featured spoken/rapped verses by Byrd (an American MC), with one verse sung by Wonder and Crystal Blake. Byrd described the song at the time thus: The idea is not that Black, White or anyone is better, but that we all have our place. Weve all made contributions - and mistakes too. Wearing the crown is reaching the top of your potential. You could be a writer or you could be a mechanic, but you can still wear the crown. The song is delivered over a rhythm track that is similar to the “Rapper’s Delight.”
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 11:15:17 +0000
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