history
Iconic moments in music history.
Eddie Kendrinks and Mevin Franklin: The iconic voices behind Silent Night by “ The Temptations”
A beloved rendition of Silent Night Over the years, I’ve heard many people, (myself included) who say "Christmas just ain’t Christmas until you hear The Temptations sing their rendition of Silent Night. I recall one holiday season when for whatever reason I did not hear this popular Christmas tune on the radio. Although I can listen anytime I desire at home, even during the summer, I always enjoy randomly hearing the Temptations singing Silent Night when I’m in the car so I can sing along.
By Cheryl E Preston5 years ago in Beat
John Lennon Vs. Paul McCartney - The Great Lyrical Feud of 1971
In Cold Blood December 8th will mark the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's tragic death. On that day in 1980, Mark David Chapman approached the superstar outside his Manhattan apartment before shooting him 4 times and destroying nearly every major artery surrounding his heart.
By Sabrina Johnson5 years ago in Beat
Popular Christmas Carols
In 1719 most of the songs sung in European church services were the Psalms from the Old Testament. Isaac Watts enjoyed Bible readings but felt that these songs did not translate well into modern-day English. Watts was 15 years old, and after one Sunday service, he expressed his thoughts. One of the deacons who heard his complaints about the songs that the congregation sang told him to go home and write something better. So Watts went home and wrote his first hymn, and this began his love of writing hymns, with "Joy to the World" being his first one. This hymn is the "imitation" of the last half of Psalm 98. Today it is a popular song sung at Christmas.
By Rasma Raisters5 years ago in Beat
John Lennon: 7 Ways That He Changed The World
This Tuesday, December 8th, 2020, marks forty years since the tragic death of John Lennon. That means that he has now been gone for as many years as he was alive. As unfathomable as that reality is, perhaps it feels all the more astounding to us because of how prescient, influential, and indelible he remains to our culture. Lennon's music, his words, and the trailblazing means by which he led his singular, legendary life continue to inspire generation after generation, ensuring that while he may be physically gone from this Earth, his spirit remains very much alive.
By Justin Thomas5 years ago in Beat
How an orchestra on the brink of death revived the world.
This is the story of a symphony which sang of hope and humanity across the decades. Leningrad, Dmitri Shostakovich’s seventh symphony, embodied the spirit of resistance from its very conception, but it is the individuals embroiled in its history who are the true inspiration behind this message.
By Alissa Mann5 years ago in Beat
Age of Enlightenment in Music
The Age of Enlightenment was the period of intellectualism, civil rights, and a tremendously fruitful period of music. This revolutionary age – evolving out of the Baroque period – focused mainly upon civil human rights, reason over faith, and philosophy; such principles were examined in the ancient history of Greeks and Romans, inherently deeming the name “Classical” upon the eighteenth century. These aspects inevitably were assimilated into the various music genres, namely the genre of symphony, and the multi-layered idealisms coincided closely its formal and stylistic characteristics; thus, this genre of Western art ultimately revealed how “enlightened” the fundamental music paradigm came to be.
By Cameron Smith5 years ago in Beat
Return to Art: The Paper
Return to Art: The Paper Imagine two turntables and a microphone. Alone, they seem inanimate, lifeless, and immaterial. Yet, they would come to represent the heart---the very core from which true hip-hop came into being. The average hip-hop listener today would less likely identify with them, as young kids and newcomers to hip-hop alike are saturated with a maelstrom of ubiquitous pop. You know the ones. The ones with those catchy "get the job done" hooks and dumbed-down lyrics. This type of music did not always represent the hip-hop culture; Hip-hop used to be about positivity, teaching others, and having fun. Now it isn't about anything--no one clear objective to reach, just an ongoing audio bad acid-trip that leaves many wanting more. It is akin to a drug, no, a virus that has spread exponentially in the past 30 years. There is, fortunately, a cure for this virus, and it lies in recognizing the link between what is known as old school hip-hop, and new-school hip-hop, and why the old school is the best representation of where hip-hop should go from here on out.
By Jonathan Mosby6 years ago in Beat
The Yellow Rose of Texas was a woman of color
I was recently watching the 10 episode show Texas Rising and was intrigued with the character, Emily West, a woman of mixed racial heritage. At the end of the final episode, clips were shown of the actors who portrayed the characters, images of the real people, and a brief history. I was surprised to find that Emily, also known as Emily Morgan was the inspiration for the popular song, The Yellow Rose of Texas. I had never associated the color of the rose with the hue of the woman's skin but suddenly it all made sense.
By Cheryl E Preston6 years ago in Beat
