This course traces the deep and pervasive impact African Americans have had on music in the United States. Musicians include Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, Marian Anderson, Sam Cooke, Olly Wilson, Duke Ellington, Florence Price, William Grant Still, Alicia Keys, Kirk Franklin, and Megan Thee Stallion. The course demonstrates musical, cultural and political connections between these different streams of music and American society. Students will discover the myriad ways that the very soul of America has been conditioned by the practices of Black music.
Department of Music