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Black History Month - Sensational Women of Music!

In celebration of Black History Month, this October, we are focusing on some of the remarkable women of colour who have made their mark on music history.

Historically, black women have been at the forefront of many fields including science, literature, politics and technology. They have also played a major role within the arts, including across all genres of music. We tend to hear more about influential men in the music world but there are many women who have made their own unique mark in music too. Here is a selection of a few of these truly inspirational women.

 

Empress of The Blues

In the 1920s and 1930s, Bessie Smith was the most admired female blues singer and continues to be cited as a major influence for blues and jazz vocalists. She worked for a period of time with Ma Rainey (known as the Mother of The Blues) before establishing herself as a solo performer.

In 1929 she appeared and sang in the film “St Louis Blues”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bo3f_9hLkQ

 

The Godmother of Rock and Roll

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was rock and roll before anyone had ever heard of or thought of the term. She wrote and performed gospel songs with a rhythmic accompaniment that she created on her guitar and was at the height of her popularity during the 1930s and 1940s.

Here is a live performance, from 1964, of Sister Rosetta Tharpe performing ‘Didn’t It Rain’ in front of an audience on a disused train platform in Manchester. Despite the rain she plays her electric guitar, leading the band in the song, and manages to look both stylish and rock and roll in her heels and long coat. If you have never come across Sister Rosetta before, make sure to check her out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9a49oFalZE

 

All That Jazz

Nina Simone originally set out to become a concert pianist but became a jazz singer when she started playing the piano in a nightclub in Atlantic City, in order to earn a living. Between 1958 and 1974 she recorded more than 40 albums. Nina had a distinctive vocal style, creating a fusion of gospel, pop and classical music with an expressive jazz delivery.

Here she is singing “Feeling Good”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff-0pHwyQ1g

 

Billie Holiday, nicknamed Lady Day, took jazz instrumentation as her inspiration and pioneered a new singing style through manipulation of the phrasing and tempo in songs. This style allowed Holiday to fully utilize the expressiveness of her voice and her often melancholy sound is perfectly matched for her delivery of the song “Summertime” from the musical “Porgy and Bess”.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYUqbnk7tCY

 

Ella Fitzgerald was known as the Queen of Jazz and the First Lady of Song and, for decades, was the top female jazz singer. In 1958 she made history by becoming the first African-American woman to win a Grammy Award. With her broad range and the expressive quality of her voice she won a total of 13 Grammys and sold more than 40 million albums.

Here is Ella singing “Every Time We Say Goodbye”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqa5kNNaMlc

 

The Folk Voice of The Civil Rights Movement

As well as her wide repertoire of American folk songs, blues jazz and spirituals, Odetta was a songwriter, guitarist, actor and civil rights activist. She was a key figure in the revival of American folk music during the 1950s and 1960s and a major influence on many of the emerging folk artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Janis Joplin. She memorably performed “O Freedom” during the civil rights “March On Washington” and Martin Luther King called her “The Queen of American Folk Music”.

Here is Odetta singing “House of The Rising Sun” in 2005.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaya8jYZBO8

 

The Queen of Gospel

Mahalia Jackson, an American gospel singer referred to as the Queen of
Gospel, had a powerful contralto voice and delivered gospel songs with a freer sense of movement and rhythm than the conservative gospel style, due to being influenced by blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey.

Here is Mahalia singing “Lord Don’t Move The Mountain”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jusAnLIFE3k

 

Girl Group Power

The idea of the ‘girl group’ really took off in the early sixties and The Crystals were one of a number of girl groups who were produced by Phil Spector using his ‘wall of sound’. Although The Crystals were considered to be one of the defining girl groups of this era they were not without their problems. As well as line-up changes, they also apparently found themselves being replaced, by Phil Spector, on their own records on occasion by Darlene Love and her group the Blossoms. The background to this story is discussed by Love in the film “20 Feet From Stardom”.

Here they are singing: “Da Doo Ron Ron”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-qqi7-Q19k

 

The Queen of Soul

Aretha Franklin was truly was one of the greatest female singers of all time and has inspired generations of female vocalists. A strong woman who overcame many difficulties in her own life, she was also a powerful advocate in the civil rights movement and in the pursuit of equality for women. Although known as the Queen of Soul, Aretha sang and released songs in a variety of musical genres but was always recognizable by her distinctive voice. Aretha was the first female performer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1987 and received a host of accolades during her career, including, in 2010, being named number one by Rolling Stone in their list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Here’s Aretha performing ‘Think’ on the Oprah Winfrey show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ1VHy9P5f8

 

The Pop and Rock Powerhouse

Born Anna Mae Bullock, in Nutbush, Tennessee, Tina Turner rose to fame in the 1960s performing with her then husband, Ike Turner before reinventing herself in the 1970s as a solo performer. She is known for her powerful vocals and energetic performances, singing and dancing her way around the stage. Her turbulent life with Ike was documented in her book ‘I, Tina’, which was later made into the film ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’, starring Angela Bassett.

Here is a 1990s recorded version of her song “Nutbush City Limits”, with a video featuring footage of Tina throughout her long career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg7qrYqJ9ns

 

Country Star

Linda Martell was the first African-American woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry debuting there in 1969. She made a further 11 appearances at the Grand Ole Opry before retiring from her music career in 1974.

Here she is appearing on the TV show “Hee Haw” singing “A Bad Case of The Blues”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETQTDgZA9Vo

 

Superstar

Beyonce Knowles became famous in the 1990s as part of Destiny’s Child, one of the most successful girl groups of all time. As a solo singer she has established herself as a top recording and performing artist across the world and at the end of the 2000s was recognized as the Recording Industry Association of America’s Top Certified Artist of the Decade. The impact she has made on the worlds of music, dance and fashion have made her one of the most influential figures in popular music history.

Here is Beyonce’s iconic video for “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY

 

When you sing, you want it to be in your voice and not an imitation of another singer or their interpretation of a song. You can, however, learn a great deal from listening to other singers. Paying attention to how other female singers use their voices can help you in developing your voice and will give you ideas that you can use to build on for your own interpretation of songs. Listening to any of the ladies listed above, and the many others that we didn’t have space to mention, is time well spent in expanding your musical knowledge, appreciation and skill.