As most of you already know, February is Black History Month. I’ll be taking this time to focus on some of the most impactful or important black musicians in history.
Who better to start off this list than Louis Armstrong? He was an American trumpeter and one of the most impactful figures in jazz history. Born in 1901, he developed a love for Jazz music early. He listened to Jazz artists such as King Oliver to fuel his passion for music. He joined Jazz bands and quartets and soon was skilled enough to replace King Oliver himself. Fame entered his life when Oliver called him in 1922. He was leading a band in Chicago and called for Armstrong to play with him. Later in his career, with the encouragement of his wife, he quit the band to pursue solo work. This involved moving back to Chicago and playing in large orchestras. He then released his most important early works, named the Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings of 1925-28. His explosive creativity could not be contained by New Orleans. His technique was brilliant and new. By 1929, he was a famous musician. He began to tour America and Europe as a trumpet soloist with a big band as backup. He became one of the most influential trumpet players, as most trumpeters began to try to emulate his style for many years to come.
Whitney Houston, born August of 63’, was an American singer and actress who was prominent in the 80s and 90s. Though her music is timeless, everybody starts somewhere. For Houston, it started in church as a child. From an early age she sang in church every Sunday. In high school, she sang backup for other singers, while also modeling for fashion magazines. When she was 19, she signed onto Arista Records, leading to her debut album release, Whitney Houston (1985). This album led to three singles that reached number one on Billboard Top Charts. She went on to be one of the highest selling music producers from the 80s and 90s. Her next album in ‘87 yielded four more number one songs, landing Houston with a Grammy Award for “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”(1987). She was also featured in many movies, first in The Bodyguard. This film featured a rendition of “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton, made by Houston. The single from the film stayed at number one for 14 weeks. The rest of her career didn’t sell as high as these years but still were filled with music. Houston released albums in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2009. She passed away in 2012 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
What would this list be without Jimi Hendrix? Hailed as the greatest guitarist by many, Jimi Hendrix shook the world with his unique and melodic guitar works. Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington, in November of 1942. His artistic career of being featured as an artist only lasted four years, but he changed rock music forever and became one of the most iconic and influential musicians of all time. Hendrix served as a paratrooper who was medically discharged from the Vietnam War. He spent the early 60s working as an accompanist for many musicians of different levels of fame. His unique and unorthodox style limited his opportunities for work until he was discovered in a club in New York and brought to England in 1966. He played across the clubs in London, alongside bassist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell. His admirers included members of The Who, The Rolling Stones, and even the Beatles.
He gained attention from Bob Dylan and others. Covering “All Along The Watchtower” by Bob Dylan gathered him extreme popularity. In November of 1966, his band “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” had their first top ten hit “Hey Joe”. They released their first album Are You Experienced? in the summer of 67’. He moved back to America in the next year, and he released Electric Ladyland. Jimi Hendrix passed away in September of 1970. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
Overall, the impact of these musicians and more have defined the genres of Rock, Pop, Blues, and many more. Without the work and influence of artists such as these, the music scene today would be drastically different.
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