Following the River
Blues, Motown, and Rock, among many others, are all genres whose histories lay entrenched in the heart of black American soul singing. In many cases, they are appropriations, chronicled by abolitionist, and recirculated from freed slaves in northern states from days of old. The ‘sorrow songs’, defined as music sung by enslaved African’s suffering in the United States, can be traced as a vast trail through the body of this nation, correlating to its disease of racism, attaching itself to immense passions for freedom, and exposing connections between the color line, crossing the veil that exists between white and black society. We can trace its path from the singing on a slave ship and to the workers in a field. It continues in the forced performances at the plantation home and journal entries of white freedom fighters. The song travels onward to gospel groups raising funds for new black colleges erected closely after the Civil War and the people of the great migrations after the rise of segregation in the South, to the rise of radio sensations and the Harlem renaissance. They echo in voices of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and they culminate in ethnographies and celebrations of Black History month to this very day.
Following this diagnostic path of music and its role in the cartography of the American illness of prejudice, it winds its way through the core of many a complicated narrative of this troubled past. Its beauty and power undeniable, and its ability to express joy and love ignites the hearts of millions to follow goals of liberation. The gospel music born in the early 1900s, in conjunctions with raucous improvisational styles from the jazz of New Orleans would be another such amalgamation of our early ‘sorrow song’, this time bringing hope for a new world in the coming century and finding many similar challenges from days gone.
Sam Cooke, born well after the birth of spiritual singing, would emerge in its maturity to great fame. He would be one of its pioneers. By his murder in December of 1964, he was responsible vast collection of gospel, soul, and blues hits. Born on Jan 22nd, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Cooke was the son of a minister. He sought his own identity at an early age by added an ‘e’ to his name to signify his new sense of self. The cultural background from which Cooke came emboldened his ability to communicate with music, those ideals of the disenfranchised life that he was raised in.
From the mold of spiritual and gospel song, whose genesis is derived from our old friend the ‘sorrow song’, came a man whose voice transferred the irreducible by means of music. A quote from Lou Adler from “The Triumph of Sam Cooke Dream Boogie” by Peter Guralnick cites “… all of a sudden this thing that looked so corny on paper just turned into this magical event.” This was in reference to Cooke’s ability to transfer the written word into meaning. This path of transmission would be an integral part existing within what connects people so deeply to these musical styles born from the black American story. The river that Cooke would eventually sing about, may well have included the water way carving its journey through American history by waves of sound. Sam’s participation in the Civil Rights Movement would end far too soon, but his song continues to cut through, finding new foundations in musicians today.
The National Museum of Black American Music writes that “Sam Cooke’s career has been the blueprint for many artists that have come after him to follow, from artists like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Al Green, Rod Stewart, and many more.” His influence is powerful, and his status as a carrier of the message, built upon freedom from bondage, and born into the fight for equality speaks to the culture existing on the margins of the confluence intertwined between white and black society. Gospel, Motown, Jazz, and Rock are amongst some of the strongest contenders that help shatter the divisions and create stories of unity, peace, and understanding. Ian McCann writes in his article, “Motown and Politics: From Dancing to Marching in the Street”, about the power of this evolution,
“Take ‘Dancing In The Street’, for example. Long since declared an anthem of rebellion and street protest, there was little sign of Martha & The Vandellas imparting this message when the kids were dancing the jerk and the block to it in 1964. Yet time and an association with a particular era can make such connections apparent, and a song can take on a meaning beyond that which its writer originally intended. As Motown and politics began to suss each other out, Motown’s protest songs didn’t always need to be explicit – but sometimes they were.” – McCann (June 2020)
Sam Cooke is an important figure in transmitting the heart of black American influence and the journey of the ‘sorrow songs’ through cultural cores. His influencers and cohorts would continue to carry this torch, and Motown would follow behind his legacy to build a new and exciting path to progress. Enjoy the listening example today of “Change is Gonna Come”.