I intend to create a project based on the African American blues tradition. This will be to highlight the influence of Blues music in identity creation. There will be an investigation of regularly occurring troupes and symbols in the music which promote a certain identity for Black Americans. The project will try to represent as accurately as possible the blues experience of the African American. What was the experience the blues genre was trying to impart on the listener? Why was the music structured a certain way? Why were the lyrics trying to convey? There will be a concerted effort to historically contextualize the blues, so that an understanding can be formed of why the genre evolved as it did, and how it influenced the African American in viewing himself as an individual and in the context of the African American community.
The importance of this lies in that any oppressed community turns to music for expression. This reflects the collective experience and in turn empowers marginalized groups to retake the narrative. Blues tapped into slavery and racism and retold the story of the African American through their music, reclaiming the voices that would otherwise not be heard. The influence of the blues has been massive with Jazz, Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues and Hip Hop all taking some inspiration from the genre. These genres still exist and are widely heard in the mainstream music today, indicating the far reach of the influence that the Blues has had on the African American.
The project will consist of three inter-related parts;
- Blues song list
- Pictures
- Analysis
Blues Song List
An album of blues song will be provided to the listener. There are two distinct directions the project can take with the song list. It could either try to cover a large variety of recurring themes in identity formation or one specific idea could be the focus. Restrictions can also be made on sub-genres and geography. The most accessible sub-genre will be electric blues of the 1950s based in Chicago, due to the superior recording quality.
The project will require the listener to put on the album of selected songs while viewing pictures and then reading the analysis. The track list is thus the lynchpin of the project, meaning the selection of songs will be crucial in shaping the direction of the project. It will be the basis through which pictures are chosen and analysis is made; the reason being that a project on music should give greatest importance to the music itself.
Pictures
A visual representation of the song will be part of the attempt to situation the reader in the moment of the African American. The picture will be neither of the singer nor of the album art but rather it will be a depiction of the plight of the African American; a way to illustrate the source of inspiration for the blues. It will also attempt to draw attention to the conditions of the African American community. The pictures are meant to elucidate the larger point that each individual blues song is making. The use of pictures will be paired with an analysis underneath it.
Analysis
After the audience has “heard and seen”, this section will attempt to explore themes related to identity formation for that particular song. There will be reliance on secondary sources and various interpretations will be provided of the song. Focus will be on identity but general information and other important themes will also be discussed for the sake of completness. The section will therefore be where I will attempt to link the music, the visuals and the entire “guided tour” into one coherent whole. This section will not serve as an essay and instead will serve as a supplement. It will aim to leave food for thought of the entire “exhibit”, as opposed to shoving the words down the readers throat.
Decoloniality and Decolonization 