Music taking on religion is much more easily tolerated than music taking on other topics, in my experience.
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@bdp24 I was thinking about best microbrew, but sure politics works too. ;-) In all seriousness, has there ever been more political music than the blues? It's an art form which developed in response to oppression. |
There is a guy who posts amazing videos on YouTube, calling himself The Jazz Shepherd (real name Dan something). In his deep discussions about Jazz music (he is a good friend of Stereophile reviewer Ken Micallef, himself a serious Jazz fiend) he includes the context of the racism the black Jazz artists faced in the U.S.A. as they were pioneering what he (and others) calls the only art form that America can claim as its own. I think that may be an overstatement; what about Gospel, Blues, and Country & Western? Sure, Ireland, Scotland, and England had a long Folk tradition---the basis for Folk, Hillbilly, Bluegrass, etc., but it sure underwent change, invention, and development once imported into the U.S.A. And Blues was created as a form of expression and release by the 19th and 20th century American slaves and their descendants. Speaking of American blacks, and Gospel music: in the black community playing anything other than Gospel was long considered depraved, and strongly frowned upon. Singers like Sam Cooke were denounced when they crossed over from the religious market to the secular. 1950’s Rock ’n’ Rollers Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis struggled with their religious beliefs and faith conflicting with their secular music. Little Richard quit the music business in the early-60’s, returning to the Church as a Baptist preacher. Jerry Lee, after being banned for marrying his 15-year old second cousin, created a new career n Country & Western. Apparently marrying a 15-year old relative was not so unusual in the South. ;-) |
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