New topic
Printable| Author | Message |
|
Women Rockers (Afro-Punk) The history of rock and roll isn’t a fixed object, but a moveable feast, one that changes constantly depending on your own knowledge and curiosity. There are those who still believe that Elvis Presley was The King, while others are well-schooled on the moves and grooves of darker hued originators, Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Ike Turner. In the telling of these tales, however, women, especially Black women, are often relegated to history’s footnotes. In early 2018, when Sister Rosetta Tharpe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it felt good to hear Alabama Shakessinger Brittany Howard break down the history of the guitar-playing singer from Cotton Plant, Arkansas who began her career in the church. Howard explained to the audience that Sister Rosetta was a woman who merged gospel and blues to create a whole new thing. She is referred to as “the godmother of rock and roll,” because Tharpe’s “boogie woogie” sound influenced Presley, his little cousin Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. With songs like “Rock Me” and “Strange Things Happening Everyday,” Sister Rosetta was, as Howard said, “A trailblazing musician (who) shattered stereotypes, defied expectations and blended musical cultures.”
Today, Tharpe’s spirit and mission can be heard in work of her rock-hard goddaughters, an extensive list that includes the entire line-up of women gathering to play at AFROPUNK Brooklyn 2018, and as part of the PowerJam. Curated by Toshi Reagon, it will also include Nona Hendryx, Militia Vox, Kimberly Nichole, the Nova Twins and activist/writer Angela Davis, whose political stance an...onal stage. “Davis and Nona Hendryx are collaborating on a song written especially for this event,” says Reagon. “The theme of our show is liberation, and what better way to express that concept than two women who have fought those battles for years.”
While Black women rockers might draw inspiration from the same foundation, that’s not to say they all sound alike. Indeed, they could be uproarious, like Etta James and Tina Turner; hippie, like the Rotary Connection’s Minnie Riperton and Cree Summer; punk, like Poly Styrene and Big Joanie; wild, like Betty Davis or Joyce Kennedy of Mother’s Finest; Afro-Futurist, like classic LaBelle and Skunk Anansie; calming, like Joan Armatrading and Tracy Chapman; or raw, like Grace Jones and Joi, whose 1994 debut The Pendulum Vibeis one of the best end of the century rock albums.
|
- E-mail - orgNote -  Report post to moderator |
What about Cammie Gilbert from the metal band Oceans Of Slumber? You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
i love Brittany Howard....havent heard anything new from her & the band in a while though, unless i missed something | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
|
I've never heard of her, but thank you for schooling me. Very cool... |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
|
Time keeps on slipping into the future...
This moment is all there is... |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Jada Pinkett was also in a metal band called Wicked Wisdom You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Peggy "Lady Bo" Malone
You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Hey, thanks to all of the people who posted. In regard to current bands who are considered Afro-Punk, I'll admit that I'm pretty uninformed. I really need to explore more. Rest in Peace Bettie Boo. See u soon. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
