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Everyone, but esp classic rock fans - all those bands unabashedly ripped-off Black artists. They straight-up stole their exact musico or made some changes w/o giving any credit. Next time you go to put on Zeppelin, put Howlin’ Wolf on instead. https://open.spotify.com/track/2HUZVffVPXvqnrml0gXggp?si=U9trxe_-RUutReX4ZDAWKg">https://open.spotify.com/track/2HU...
Everyone, but esp classic rock fans - all those bands unabashedly ripped-off Black artists. They straight-up stole their exact musico or made some changes w/o giving any credit. Next time you go to put on Zeppelin, put Howlin’ Wolf on instead. https://open.spotify.com/track/2HUZVffVPXvqnrml0gXggp?si=U9trxe_-RUutReX4ZDAWKg">https://open.spotify.com/track/2HU...
Or Willie Dixon, who had to sue Led Zepplin for multiple counts of plagiarism.
You like those blues/rock songs from bands like Cream and the Doors? There’s a good chance Willie Dixon did them first https://open.spotify.com/track/2PcbVKT28p9mOlWBDL371J?si=zPtTkrq-RmOfhFJkpvSmnQ">https://open.spotify.com/track/2Pc...
You like those blues/rock songs from bands like Cream and the Doors? There’s a good chance Willie Dixon did them first https://open.spotify.com/track/2PcbVKT28p9mOlWBDL371J?si=zPtTkrq-RmOfhFJkpvSmnQ">https://open.spotify.com/track/2Pc...
An Elvis fan?
Throw on the original “Hound Dog” recording, by Big Mama Thorton https://open.spotify.com/track/21qlCjNYLq9jPRR15v4Jyo?si=OWsiIJAbQRyN2J0KdPLU_g">https://open.spotify.com/track/21q...
Throw on the original “Hound Dog” recording, by Big Mama Thorton https://open.spotify.com/track/21qlCjNYLq9jPRR15v4Jyo?si=OWsiIJAbQRyN2J0KdPLU_g">https://open.spotify.com/track/21q...
Have you ever heard of Robert Johnson?
Legend has it that he sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads for his blues guitar abilities. Though it’s debated if his song, “Cross Road Blues” is about this bargain, Cream popularized it as, “Crossroads”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robe...
Legend has it that he sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads for his blues guitar abilities. Though it’s debated if his song, “Cross Road Blues” is about this bargain, Cream popularized it as, “Crossroads”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robe...
And while some artists - like Clapton - were more forthcoming with attributing where they got a lot of their music ideas from, on the whole, Black artists did not get the paydays, contracts, & exposure that white artists did. Many venues were still segregated.
Many radio stations favored white artists versions of songs over black artists. White artists got more and better publicity.
We all have our favorite music - but it’s important to know how much racism permeates everything in our culture.
We all have our favorite music - but it’s important to know how much racism permeates everything in our culture.
Maybe we’d listen to a lot more of these early black artists if they were promoted the same way and had the same opportunities. Maybe they’d have even MORE songs and MORE influence if they had the same resources and support as white artists in the same time.
So dig into the music you listen to. Learn about who they built their legacy on, where they got their inspiration from, and learn about what factors made it that so you don’t already know those artists. Sometimes, it’s just that an artist’s talent carries them only so far...
But ask yourself this:
If the ‘greatest bands in the world,’ are so inspired by, give attribution to, and/or straight up stole from so many Black artists you barely know, is talent the issue?
If the ‘greatest bands in the world,’ are so inspired by, give attribution to, and/or straight up stole from so many Black artists you barely know, is talent the issue?
I’ll keep adding to this thread, but know that it doesn’t stop here. The vast majority of popular American music comes from Black artists and the Black experience. These artists were inspired by and learned from those that came before them, and it keeps going back.
But there’s a difference between inspiration & carrying on a legacy, and intellectual & $$ theft. Stay tuned for more info on the history of this and I will do my best to use what I’ve learned studying history, music, and pop culture and continue to learn more and put it here.
