African-American artists have played an enormous part in American folk music, from the permutation of slave spirituals to field recordings, songs of the civil rights and feminist movements, and beyond. From gospel to blues and jazz to rock and roll, these artists have influenced and inspired generations of Americana artists and songwriters, and here are five of the most notable African-American artists in American folk music.
Huddie Ledbetter (a.k.a. Leadbelly) was born in Louisiana in 1888. Most notably, Ledbetter's songs were used twice to help him get out of jail on murder charges—the first time in Texas and the second time in Louisiana. It was his pardoning in Louisiana, when the judge released him under the care of music producers John and Alan Lomax, that his career took off. The Lomax's made a recording of "
Goodnight Irene," which became an enormous hit for Leadbelly, and would eventually be adapted by the Weavers to be one of the most influential folk songs in contemporary history.
One thing people always say about Odetta is that her voice is beyond belief; and if her voice doesn't flatten your heart in one note, her stage presence is sure to mesmerize. Odetta's gospel-folk mastery inspired numerous artists and fans alike during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, and her magic as a folksinger and performer has hardly waned since. Her latest effort,
Gonna Let it Shine was nominated for a
2007 Grammy Award, and her influence on American folk artists of all walks of life has been immeasurable.
The Blind Boys of Alabama formed in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Blind and, while they spent 40 years touring the country and establishing a name for themselves, it wasn't until 1992 that the group was recognized by the mainstream with a Grammy Award. Regardless of mainstream recognition, the Blind Boys have easily spent their nearly 60-year career fiercely influencing artists and fans in genres ranging from gospel to roots, rock, and beyond.
Harry Belafonte became most widely known with his rendition of the calypso tune "The Banana Boat Song," but that was only the beginning of what has been a long and rather illustrious career. Belafonte's career has spanned numerous albums and nearly a decade of television specials in the 1960s. He was also the first African-American man to win an Emmy award for one of his specials, which helped introduce the U.S. to several budding folk songwriters. Belafonte has also been a vocal activist for social justice, Civil Rights, and other causes.
The seven-member, all-female a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock started their career in the early 1970s, and they have been going strong ever since. 20 women have cycled through the Sweet Honey line-up throughout the years, but the themes the group sings about, and their innovative blend of folk music, with a smidge of jazz, gospel and world rhtyhms, has not changed. The women of Sweet Honey have indeed inspired and informed generation after generation of women and men through their mastery of American folk music.
