Happy Black History Month! African Americans have contributed so much to American music, as founders, innovators, chart-toppers, and political motivators, that I could list thousands of important contributions and still be incomplete. Selecting a few representative artists and songs is a daunting task.
Music is so important in African American history, both as political tool and cultural expression, and I hope this varied playlist can hint at the wealth of musical tradition that lies beyond. Happy listening!
"A Change Is Gonna Come" --- Sam Cooke
The inventor of soul was renowned for his upbeat love tunes in his lifetime ("You Send Me" being a personal favorite), but this song, which he wrote a year before his death, became an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement and has been famously covered numerous times.
