Music connects us in a way that reveals our common humanity. This American music series is designed to bring awareness and understanding to the relationship between America’s first original music, America’s diverse cultural heritage and American history. In this music video blog, you will experience the legendary story of how the enslaved Africans in America created an original music known today as African American spirituals that enabled them to secretly communicate routes on the UGRR. Wade In The Water is a perfect example. Also these songs helped them daily to endure the labor intensive tasks they were given, teach their young, record their history and heal their pain. Their original music became the inspiration and the foundation of many popular American music genre’s including Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Folk, Country, Pop, R & B, Rock & Roll and others.Through performing arts programing we will explore America’s cultural diversity in our music in the context of history, and history in the making.
Frank Bennett
Calvin – Thanks for the concert at the McLean Community Center. I went with my wife and a group from our church – including my buddy Michael Coar who I have been playing guitar in church together with for ten years and rock and roll together with for another ten. We enjoyed your playing style and comments on not fitting the meter or the 12 note scale to everything! Next time we play “Wade in the Water” we are going to borrow some inspiration from you.
Keep spreading the word and thanks again!
Frank
Calvin Earl
Thanks Frank! It was a pleasure to meet you!