This week I was asked to write a post about
whether a particular art movement or genre type style or subculture has
influenced me, and when I thought about it only one thing came to my mind.
Something that introduced me to a completely new culture and something that I
still deeply love to this day – soul music.
It
is a music genre that originated in the U.S in the late 1950’s to early 1960’s
combining elements of African American Gospel music and rhythm and blues
(soulmusic.com) essentially a hybrid with both genres combining. I remember the
first time I heard it I was ten, my parents had taken my sister and I to the
Pancake Parlor. I was just about tuck into my first pancake when on came a tune
that I still love, Ray Charles ‘I got a woman’ and ‘I just thought what is this’?
‘Its Fricken awesome’ !!!
The great thing about soul music was, and
still is that it gives people a voice. Etta James, Ray Charles, Little Richard and Marvin Gaye all were able to have their voices heard and they were able to expose a huge
audience to the issues that the African American people had and were suffering
with at the time like segregation and racism. Soul music is uplifting that’s
its job and uplift me it did.
It exposed me not to just great music but to a culture I wasn’t really aware of at the age of 10 prior to first hearing this music the only music I could relate to African American culture was Kris – Kross or Salt –n- Pepa. ‘Every culture has music that is distinctive and an important aspect of its identity’ (Letts, 2003:1). I think it is safe to say that soul music, as an art movement is postmodern, the music flowed and followed society with its cultural and economical trends at the time. Through globalization it was possible for me to gain access to this music, to the culture and everything that goes with it.
It exposed me not to just great music but to a culture I wasn’t really aware of at the age of 10 prior to first hearing this music the only music I could relate to African American culture was Kris – Kross or Salt –n- Pepa. ‘Every culture has music that is distinctive and an important aspect of its identity’ (Letts, 2003:1). I think it is safe to say that soul music, as an art movement is postmodern, the music flowed and followed society with its cultural and economical trends at the time. Through globalization it was possible for me to gain access to this music, to the culture and everything that goes with it.
- Letts, R , 2003, 'Music council Australia', http://www.mca.org.au/, Retrieved1/6http://www.mca.org.au/research/research-reports/research-reports/638-the-effects-of-globalisation-on-music-in-five-contrasting-countries-australia-germany-nigeria-the-philippines-and-uruguay
- Soul Music, 2013, http://www.soulmusic.com/Index.asp?s=1&T=38
- Wenner, J, 2013, Rolling Stone http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/marvin-gaye, Retrived 30/7 ( Marvin Gaye Image)
