My Main Man John Jonhson

Broadside Ballads were the ipods of the 16th Century. However due to the lack of technology ballads were printed on cheap paper and widely distrubted. Broadside ballad's are rich in music history, but ballads also helped the progression of the printing press. These ballads are songs with a very common and familiar ryhthm that address a temporary issue, or ephemral issue. These issues are typically soical or political and are very powerful due to the lack of censorship the government can't put on them. However all broadside ballads weren't meant to be revolutionary, some were meaninful as well as entertaining.

John Jackson was a well respected guitarist and songwriter from Blueridge, Virginia. His broadside ballads were very rhythmic and honestly I see alot of his "style" in Hip Hop artists. John Jackson didnt keep the same melody for everysong and the subject matter changed from song to song. His joyful sound and plesant accent was so entertaining to crowds that he forced Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz to shout "I must record that man" during one of Johnson performances.

John Jackson is an amazing musician from Blueridge Virginia.

Key Words: Amazing Musician

This meaning that John Johnson not only played the guitar but he sang on top of writing the songs!! He was like Andre 3000 of the 1940's.
Johnson Composed a song called Railroad Bill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqacttmgWsg

This song didn't tackle racism or fight for freedom, however it provided a universal message of wanting to be free.
Now this is just my interpretation so I could be off but thought out the song Railroad bill is runnin, and John Jackson insists that you let Bill run. Bill Is a free spirit, and free spirts are meant to live and see the world, just like railroad bill. If you were to apply this song directly to a social issue, it would be the concept of "freedom" but freedom for all, because we all want and have the right to live freely

Freedom Singing

Bernice Johnson Reagon was and still is a black activist. Ms. Reagon’s primary of objective during the civil rights movement was to integrate black and white people thru music.  During time period when racism was alive and well Ms. Reagon took the chance to put both black and white musicians on the same stage.

Bernice Johnson Reagon delivered a message of unity and integration. Songs such as “We’ve come a long way to be together” and “There’s a new world coming” implied that the world is changing (disappearance of racism) and that it’s ok to accept everyone no matter what race you were.  Ms. Reagon attempted to integrate races not only in her song subject matter but also thru her live performances. During the 1960’s integration was at times dangerous but mostly feared and Reagan used music to help bring the two races together.

http://www.folkways.si.edu/explore_folkways/bernice_reagon.aspx

http://www.bernicejohnsonreagon.com/

Being a leader is difficult for most. Being different is very uncommon. Now imagine being a leader amongst a group of people who you are completely different from you. Bernice Johnson Reagan managed to lead a group of racially different people during a time when you could be killed for accepting those with a different skin color. Ms. Reagon didn’t have a platinum record nor make it on MTV’s top 10 list but she did help so that the Sammy Davis’s and Dean Martins of the world could make music together.

I Am A-Game.....Better Known as Anthoney Ellis

Mus 300 would be best described as a music history class. Try not to take the history part and directly associate it with bland World War 1 or British history. This history class explores music at its roots, in this class we will explore the styles of music that helped change a nation and the music we listen to today. I am a music minor so this is a requirement.

Fun Fact: I'm not just a college student, I'm also an aspiring artist, and in order to be really good at something you have to know almost everything about it. So the opportunity to learn about music is not only interesting but a career requirement.

After the semester I plan to have a better knowledge and understanding of the impact that different types of music can have. Ill also use my knowledge to trump people in music debates :)