Negro music in America; 1

Negro music and American. Negro music and American exploration of it and its impact on American culture. Here is your host for the Saturdays Tony look at Bach from the earliest slave times in America and right on through to today the nigger has turned naturally to the sources closest to him in the development of his music. And as we play this music for you you will frequently find that the original source of his song was spiritual ballad or blues was in a European or white tradition. But when the new group took it and sang or played it to his own satisfaction it became something amazingly different and frequently more enjoyable to the white listener than it had been in its original form. There are many comments on record from slave owners who were constantly delighted by the strange and excited seeing in new tempos and rhythms of the hymns that the negroes had learned from listening to the services of their white owners.

Here is a fine example of this in a recording made by Alan Lomax an integral church in Mississippi. Mrs. Mary Lee and congregation singing Jesus is real to me. What a. Goal. Oh. Yeah. Lol.

Yeah. Lol. Yeah yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The. Comments people have tried to define and describe the blues. I think that an old negro trying to describe them told John Lomax says everything that is really important about the blues. He simply stated that the blues ain't nothing but a good man feelin

bad now much is made of the fact that the Blues change and they surely do. And Country Blues differ widely from urban blues and blues in one area different to some extent from blues in another area. So we're going to play two very good examples of the differences. Here's a country blues recorded by Alan Lomax in Hughes Arkansas. She lived her life too fast this is song and played on the harmonica by Forrest City Joe. Why. I thought it was.

Not that. Long. Love Machine run.

Dive Shop. I think you know I had a look drank at night. I got into it that night of my novel. Good evening Bob. Want me to think that you're right in fact. I think that I will.

Well this next blows like that one deals with the problems a man had with his woman or a woman had with her man. You'll find that this next move is in high contrast to the country blues. This is a beautiful example of a classic old time blues done in a traditional jazz style Odetta sayings Oh my babe. All over. TV my oh my.

Oh my. All over. It. Oh no. He was. Meek. Gave. Us. Would be all over. Head. Home back home. No. Oh no.

Still.

To. Come. Even. Close. So you turn to. Us. Load. Next week we'll hear Jelly Roll Morton talk about funeral marches in New Orleans.

Negro music that America has told a local bar as transcribed by the SEIU Broadcasting Service. Join us next week as we continue our exploration of Negro music in America. This program was distributed by national educational radio. This is the national educational radio network.