Kayleigh Vestal Backing It Up Standing in the Shadows of Motown is a documentary on the Funk Brothers and their influence on the Motown sound, being the backbone behind many of the genre’s greatest musicians such as Stevie Wonder and the Supremes. I personally found the film to be very enjoyable, and the history of the band was fascinating to watch, seeing their connections to these famous players and how their music coincides with the evolving trends of the decades. The show begins with a slow, funky bassline that walks along as the narrator introduces the Funk Brothers by way of floating text. In Detroit, Michigan, 1959, a new record company called Motown records gathered the best blues and jazz musicians the city had to offer. This band would go by the name the Funk Brothers.
Pink Floyd were influenced by a number of artists throughout their career, helping them towards the sound they achieved on Dark Side of the Moon. Miles Davis, one of the most important musicians of the second half of the twentieth century, helped create modern jazz as we know it. It is reported that Richard Wright would often lose himself in jazz records, particularly the work of Miles Davis, through his hard bop style in the 1950’s, experimental ambient sound in the 1960’s, and his rock and funk records in the 1970’s. Wright has said himself that one of his favourite pieces ever was Miles Davis’ take on Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess from the 1959 Kind of Blue album, which was a key influence to the composition of the chord sequence which forms the song Us and Them from Dark Side of the Moon. The Beatles were a band that influenced Pink Floyd greatly in the lead up to the release of Dark Side of the Moon; most bands were influenced by the Beatles at this time.
Cruz stated that Motown was a black-owned business that was centered around black people, but it gave white people joyous, sad, romantic, mad, groovin, and movin music. Michelle Obama spoke in front of music students with some Motown legends. She believes that Motown made music for all people, and it helped pave the way for people looking at each other differently (Miller). Miller quoted Michelle Obama was quoted
Berry Gordy was an American record producer and songwriter. His claim to fame was the establishment of the renowned Motown record label and its affiliates. Motown became one of the most eminent music companies in the history of the U.S. Berry Gordy was born on 28th November 1929 in Detroit, Michigan and was the seventh child in a middle class family of Berry Gordy Sr. Berry’s siblings were all educated citizens however Berry wanted to become very rich very quickly so decided to drop out of school and become a professional boxer. He got interested in music by writing songs and soon opened the 3D Record Mart which was a store that featured jazz music. Unfortunately this venture was not successful.
The difference between these two styles involves artists, major composition and influence. Through these three areas, the development of ragtime and blues greatly affect the revolution of jazz. The individual experience of artists can both affect and reflect the main characteristics of a music style. Ragtime dominated American popular music for nearly two decade from 1890s to 1910s. During this period, Scott Joplin, noticed as the most influential pianist to ragtime, was born into a typical Africa-American family in Northeast Texas, whose father had been a slave.
Anson Funderburgh and his group have been performing since the late seventies blending a mixture of Mississippi Delta Blues with Texas funk. Sam Meyers intensified the influence of the delta blues when he joined the band in the eighties. Sam Meyers, age 63 is legally blind and a diabetic, brings a deep bluesy voice to the band that combines the basic blues progression with Texas funk to form an unique style of rhythm and blues. The group appeared not to favor any particular period as their set ranged from the basic blues AAB form to a fast paced funk, and a blues style rock. The group is comprised of: Anson Funderburgh on lead guitar.
Jazz is America’s classical music that evolved from the blending of African and European cultures. The artists are in an improvised jazz ensemble, and they are equal partners in the developing musical selections. Jazz music originated in New Orleans. In the late 1700s-1840 there was a common meeting place for most slaves called, Congo Square. Slaves were permitted to dance, sing, and play drums on Sundays.
It is a style of dance where participants push or slam into each other. As I've been a fan of Joey Badass since he first came on the scene, I knew all of the songs he performed. He performed some songs from his first mixtape, 1999, such as "Funky Ho", "Survival Tactics" and ''Waves". In addition, he performed songs from Summer Knights, such as "Unorthodox'' and "95 Til' Infinity", which is a reference to 90's Golden Era group Souls Of Mischief and their album 93 Til' Infinity. I arrived at the venue in Shepherd's Bush quite early and saw the audience getting gradually more excited as the show approached its start.
Some musicians which he has influenced are: Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, and ZZ Top (Kirkpatrick 50). Clapton had previously said, “Muddy took the music of the Delta plantation, transplanted it in a Chicago nightclub, surrounded it in a electric band, and changed the course of popular music forever” (qtd. in Kirkpatrick 50-51). The styles of both the Blues and the nearly synonymous Gospels are practically interchangeable; Blues songs can be transformed into Gospel songs and vice versa. With that being said, both styles have their own sounds and meanings (Mississippi Blues Commission).
Muddy Waters moved to Chicago in 1941 after realizing he wanted to pursue a career in the music business. He comes to this decision when he hears himself for the first time thanks to Alan Lomax, who at the time was recording many musicians for the Library of Congress. With his acoustic guitar in hand, Muddy Waters took the journey to Chicago never looking back, and ultimately becoming one of the greatest blues musicians of all time. Foreign to the city life of Chicago, Muddy Waters began his adventure trying to play his acoustic guitar on street corners only to be laughed at by people who were walking by, telling him to take his music back down South to the plantation which he came from. It was right after the insult when a young black woman, who lived in a building near the corner he had been playing on, shouted down at him and jokingly said that he was disturbing the peace.