Songs By African American Artist..

[ucjrdude902]

....that everyone should know?

Taking a "Music Appreciation" class and I'm required for an assignment to compose a list of 10-12 songs by black artist that "everyone should know".

Any suggestions? Want to make sure I'm not looking over anything legendary. Thanks guys!

[tazber]

My god, I wouldn't know where to start.

Are we talking written and performed, or just performed?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

And just to be clear, we're talking a single artist, right?

[javero]

If you're interested in solo recording artists, I'd suggest that you sample a few timeless classics from the catalogs of the following for starters.

Dinah Washington
Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holliday
Sarah Vaughan
Otis Redding
Wilson Pickett
B.B. King
Louis Armstrong
Al Green
Dionne Warwick
Donny Hathaway
Bobby Womack
Bill Withers
Minnie Riperton
Nat King Cole
Natalie Cole
Robert Flack
Peabo Bryson
Aretha Franklin
Diana Ross
James Brown
Thelma Houston
Donna Summer
Luther Vandross
Prince Rogers Nelson
Stephanie Mills
Whitney Houston
Michael Jackson
Janet Jackson
Jennifer Holiday
Usher Raymond IV
Brandy
Monica
Phyllis Hyman
Angela Boffill
Lisa Fischer
Patti Labelle
Gladys Knight
Alexander O'Neill
Cherelle
Patrice Rushen

Then, you have the new crop to choose from, including the rappers & rapperesses

I'd be here till tomorrow listing the groups made up of largely AfAm musicians/singers.

Hope this helps...

ETA: There is not an African American over the age of 40 who is not familiar with Al Wilson's megahit 'Show and Tell'. It'a a karaoke staple in the the AfAm community among the old heads like me. I've performed it more times than I care to remember. I'm not really that familiar with the AfAm artists who've hit the scene this millennium.

ETA(2): I'm going to have my AfAm card revoked for overlooking Johnny Mathis, Deniece Williams, Chaka Khan, Sam Cooke, Teddy Pendergras, and Rick James










Al Wilson - Show and Tell

[ucjrdude902]

I appreciate all the help! So far I've got on my list

Billie Holiday, God Bless The Child
Sam Cooke, A Change Is Gonna Come
Jackson 5, I Want You Back
Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You
Etta James, I'd Rather Go Blind

[Borstalboy]

Something by Ray Charles.

"A Long Walk" by Jill Scott for some eclecticism.

[tazber]

Don't forget the early greats:

Robert Johnson
Fats Waller
Duke Ellington

And also Mahalia Jackson

[GavestonPS]

So we're talking black performers, not writers. Then you MUST add:

"Ol' Man River" - Paul Robeson
"Proud Mary" - Tina Turner
"Bess, You Is My Woman Now" - you can pick the version of PORGY & BESS you prefer

And you SHOULD add:

"Midnight Train to Georgia" - Gladys Knight & the Pips
"And I'm Telling You..." - Jennifer Holliday
"Georgia" - Ray Charles
"At Last" - Etta James

[tazber]

Something by Aretha.

Respect is what I'd choose.

[Susanswerphone]

[canmark]

A few suggestions...

Billie Holliday, Strange Fruit
Nina Simone, Mississippi Goddamn
James Brown, Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud
Ike & Tina Turner, River Deep – Mountain High
Ethel Waters, Stormy Weather
Ella Fitzgerald, The Lady Is a Tramp
Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World
Aretha Franklin, Respect

[GavestonPS]

Other MUSTs:

"His Eye Is on the Sparrow" or "Supper Time" -- Ethel Waters
Some gospel by Mahalia Jackson

Also:

"Strange Fruit" -- I realize "God Bless the Child" is more famous, but "Strange Fruit" was introduced by Billie Holiday and is one of the great songs of the first half of the 20th century.

***

This seems an impossible task to me. Maybe the OP should limit himself to songs written and performed by African-Americans. We don't even have Fats Waller or Eubie Blake on the list. Jazz songs like "I'm Just Wild About Harry" totally changed popular music in the 1920s.

Further back, we get ragtime and the "coon songs" from the days when minstrel shows were performed by blacks, not whites in black face.

What the hell was the instructor thinking?

[EricMontreal22]

What a... weird question. I have scanned the suggestions but maybe missed this--what about Lush Life, one of my favorites, Lush Life by Billy Strayhorn. Fantastic song, written when he was a teenager and now pretty much immortal (it's worth looking into his life, which was not so fantastic.) The song structure is actually very complex, and the way it follows the lyrics is brilliant.

[ucjrdude902]

Sorry, I should have originally said performed by African American artist however, I am loving all the suggestions!

[ArtMan]

Nat King Cole, Unforgetable, Ben E King, Stand By Me, Temptations, My Girl

[ArtMan]

You need to change your Etta James to At Last. If the assignment is to make a list of songs that "everyone should know", I'd Rather Go Blind is not a known song.

[ArtMan]

Marvin Gaye, What's Going On, Curtis Mayfield, Superfly or Freddie's Dead

[ucjrdude902]

I've also added a Beyonce and Mariah song to the list.

[ArtMan]

Smoky Robinson & the Miracles, Tears of a Clown, Issac Hayes, Theme from Shaft

[PalJoey]

If it's for a music-history-type class, I would suggest you add some of the early 20th-century musicians, like Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Paul Robeson, and Duke Ellington. Maybe even go back further to W.C Handy and Scott Joplin.












The vocal on Stormy Weather is by one of Ellingon's greatest vocalists, Ivie Anderson.

[jnb9872]

And if we're talking about songwriters (or, in the current day, producers) you would also be very well-served looking into Holland-Dozier-Holland, Gamble & Huff, McFadden & Whitehead, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Allen Toussaint...

[ArtMan]

So.....what songs made your list?

[canmark]

The Staple Singers, I'll Take You There
Sly & The Family Stone - Everyday People
Bill Withers - Lean On Me
Chuck Berry, Johnny B. Goode
Ray Charles, What'd I Say

[CarlosAlberto]

Diana Ross - Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)contains one of her most pure and beautiful vocals.

A great song and a powerful message.

[Broadwayboobs]

Don;t forget.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCG3kJtQBKo