Summary
In this exploration of the relationships between race and music in America, an African-American studies professor credits disco for creating a racially mixed dance scene, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson for empowering oppressed African-American women, and the rap act Public Enemy for drawing attention to political injustices.
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"Author Werner is a professor of Afro-American studies at the University of Wisconsin, and his book has, to some extent, sprung from the classes he teaches...A CHANGE IS GONNA COME positively fizzes with the excitement of discovery on evey page, and if you take issue with some of his conclusions his stake on The Clash and British punk being a little suspect to these ears, for example well, then that's all part of the impulse as well. Be warned though you may spend a fortune on Dorothy Love Coates records." -- Mark Hagen
-- Mojo
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Published date: 1999
Size: 6.25 x 9.25 inches
Weight: 1.1 pounds
Pages: 430
Publisher's Notes
Mahalia Jackson, James Brown, Diana Ross, the Righteous Brothers, the Jackson Five, Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin--since the early 60s, Black popular music has become increasingly intertwined with American culture, both drawing from it and shaping it. From Ray Charles to Ice Cube, Craig Werner draws lively character sketches of major musicians, intricately filling in the background historical events. From the inspirational soul music of the Civil Rights Movement and the Motown moment which aided and sped integration in its own way, to the angry "gangsta" rappers of today who dare to speak the uncensored truth, the songs are telling us the state of the world, and Werner helps train our ears to distinguish it. Emphasizing how musicians of all races have drawn on gospel, jazz, and the blues, A Change Is Gonna Come is a celebration of cultural tradition and an illustration of the way it can embrace us all.
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