marcray hit the nail on the head in that Classic R&B stations are where kids hear the older music. Also, young guys who play know the older music also.
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Jimi Hendrix and black culture.
- Thread starter Benjamin Strange
- Start date
marcray hit the nail on the head in that Classic R&B stations are where kids hear the older music. Also, young guys who play know the older music also.
I think a lack of contact outside wherever you are is key. As such I wouldn't make a judgement about how many Black people are into Zydeco from hanging in Boise.
Here in the DC area most musicians are well versed in the "classics". What you may not realize is many people who are adult now came up with parents who listened to the music you mentioned. As such it became part of who they are. Maybe you're exaggerating for effect as usual but A) yes, I'd say most young Black people know who Marvin Gaye is and not from a sample and B) the bitches and hos thing really shows your age
. Do you really think it's all that prevalent NOW?Raheem DeVaughn is a young local cat heavily steeped in classic R&B. He got his start at the club where I do my Monday open mic gig. On a regular we have people come in and do Donny Hathaway, Sam Cook, Al Green, Nina Simone, Aretha, Gladys Knight, the list goes on and on. We also had a guy come in and do a Johnny Cash song and the crowd went nuts. Good music is good music. We get gansta rappers too but that doesn't change the fact that there are still lots of people with a connection to old school. And wonder of all wonders, some of them listen to more than one type of music. My son, who's 23, listens to anything from old school bebop to whatevers new. He has an open mind about music and instead of doing as many do (focus on the negatives), he looks for the beauty in whatever's out there. The contents of his MP3 player would probably blow your mind becuase he doesn't fit the stereotype.
Some Black radio is going for the LCD type listener but come here and listen to WPFW for example and the variety of music they play. I honestly don't know many people who listen to smooth jazz and besides that, the biggest smooth jazz station locally plays Aretha Franklin's 80's songs or Luther Vandross as if that's jazz.
And WPFW is a Black urban radio station too.
As far as one race's station being more out of touch than another, I can't see where that makes any sense. You have White stations that are just as pigeon-holed as any other stations. You won't hear the Captain & Tenille on classic rock station any sooner than Merle Haggard (they're both White artists
). Not the stations that would play Yes, Zeppelin, etc.I think nowadays it has more to do with that teens black or white gravitate more towards the hip music that is in style,and it wrapped up in the current trends and fashion.
I'm sure that in many teen circles if you were to say you like UFO, or styx you might be made fun of if it wasn't the trendy thing to like, like saying you like floyd or zep.
I'm sure that in many teen circles if you were to say you like UFO, or styx you might be made fun of if it wasn't the trendy thing to like, like saying you like floyd or zep.
This is true. When I was growing up I didn't focus on music of the 50's... I wanted to hear what was current for me.
Not exactly, and that's why I posted noting your personal insight. That aside, my point was my last sentence and I felt it needed to be framed in context. Sorry for the confusion.I know. In fact, I said as much in the post you cited.
Mike
interesting to note, I'm working with a band from Cali, white and hispanic teenagers or 20 years old, who have gone from the last 3 years, teenage obsession with Zep, Floyd, Jimi etc and have moved onto learning the riffs from Randy Rhoads, Maiden and Rainbow... true...
But was it publicly at the core of what he did to the same extent as Marley? I don't think so. And Hendrix didn't focus on marijuana.
interesting to note, I'm working with a band from Cali, white and hispanic teenagers or 20 years old, who have gone from the last 3 years, teenage obsession with Zep, Floyd, Jimi etc and have moved onto learning the riffs from Randy Rhoads, Maiden and Rainbow... true...
Ha funny you mention Rainbow. A couple of years back I was talking to this kid who was 19 about ozzy and sabbath and how he should check out Dio because he's a way better singer. He's like, "Who's Dio?" I almost cried at how old he made me feel.
I'll confess, I was a young very young hendrix fan at the time of his death. I remember seeing a TV news story on Jimi when I was about eight or nine, and I remember reading an article on him in either Ebony or Sepia around that time too. Between eight and twelve, I was a serious wanna be guitard who thought rock lead guitar was the ultimate, so naturally I loved Hendrix. That was why I loved early Funkadelic like Maggot Brain too.
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That's true, I guess. As a motif on T-shirts, Marley is more or less a pro-cannabis "Legalize it" statement. Jimi was no Rastafarian, and cannot be iconized for that cause.
And I grew up digging ensemble work which is why I never dug Maggot Brain... it was four sloooooow chords and some wankin' on top... for a loooong time
. 
On the other hand Cosmic Slop had a groove. I'm a much bigger fan of that kind of Funkadelic vibe.
And I grew up digging ensemble work which is why I never dug Maggot Brain... it was four sloooooow chords and some wankin' on top... for a loooong time
On the other hand Cosmic Slop had a groove. I'm a much bigger fan of that kind of Funkadelic vibe.
Cosmic Slop is my favorite Funkadelic album. No Compute is one of the funniest songs ever written.
And I grew up digging ensemble work which is why I never dug Maggot Brain... it was four sloooooow chords and some wankin' on top... for a loooong time
Thanks, Brad...I thouight I was the only one that didn't dig "Maggot Brain".
(that only partially makes up for your Hendrix/Carrot Top analogy...which almost made me puke).
I have a Guitar Player mag from yesteryear & Vernon Reid has a response/theory about this topic...if I can find it, I'll post a synopsis.
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