Sustain the WORLD, while "Losing" YOUR OWN??
The struggle that Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks are waging to "get control" of their "music", is something that many Black Artists have tried and failed to achieve -- for more than a century of trying!
From the days in the 1920s when and enterprising Black owner of a furniture store "gave away" 'records' in order to sell Victrolas, this saga, tragic and horrific, has been a tale of theft, murder, drug-hookin' and various forms of mayhem!
Just about EVERY KIND OF PERSON took part in raping OUR music -- from your run-of-the-mill Southern Red Neck, to large corporations. Stories told by Ray Charles, Billie Holliday, and many others are Legend. My favorite is the story told by "Pops", Louis Armstrong, who checked himself into jail to keep the Italian Mobsters from stealing his pay. Every white immigrant (especially Jews) FOUND IT EASY to take their "slice" of the un-ending pie produced by Black Artists.
I am extremely fortunate to have been alive the past 75 years, along with all of these wonderful people -- many known to ALL -- and many, many more known only to members of the "Black Community". As Blacks abandon their "Community" in search of an elusive "Integration", the community, along with their Black Artists, continue to fade away. I will always treasure my evening in Vegas with Duke Ellington. During a very slow night in a Lounge in the Hilton, Duke and his Band were playing to a sparse crowd, and he visited my table at each break; autographing pictures of my kids.
I am extremely fortunate to have been alive the past 75 years, along with all of these wonderful people -- many known to ALL -- and many, many more known only to members of the "Black Community". As Blacks abandon their "Community" in search of an elusive "Integration", the community, along with their Black Artists, continue to fade away. I will always treasure my evening in Vegas with Duke Ellington. During a very slow night in a Lounge in the Hilton, Duke and his Band were playing to a sparse crowd, and he visited my table at each break; autographing pictures of my kids.
The cruelest stroke (worse then the Racist-Elvis!) came when the "Mop-Heads" arrived, and white kids escaped the clutch of their parents to get their hands on our "Race Music". Nobody's World has been the same since.
Of course OUR MUSIC includes far more than "Rock and Roll" -- the Crackers even stole the name of the Genre! Before the white kid's riotous obsession BEGAN --Black Kids, for more than a decade, danced to the original artists! There's a "huge" Repertoire of Black Music: from Spirituals, to Rag-Time, and Jazz. Most useful to the Black Community was the "social and personal" networking function provided by the music and the lyrics.
The Healing Powers of the Music are not recognized by blacks, or white; as much as they should be!- The "Preachers and the Church" have laid claim, and much more control than deserved. I was shocked when I got to San Francisco in the late 50's and found Psychology was taught as a college course! I was amused to learn the "White-Folk" went to Shrinks and paid large sums to get "treatments" we got from OUR MUSIC-- for FREE!
Stay Vigilant! Some young, enterprising Black Child may, yet, learn how to bring Our Music HOME to a re-vitalized BLACK COMMUNITY!! I also have a '78 of Charlie Parker, featuring Miles Davis! Miles signed the recording for me! I can't count all of the wonderful black artists I was fortunate enough to see, hear "live"; and "party" with. It is a shame that whites never learned how to properly value them before they PASSED ON.
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