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brain_my_damage_HJS t1_j8rrtmq wrote

Marian Anderson- My Country, Tis of Thee

1st Black artist to perform on the National Mall. The story behind her performance makes for a great history lesson

Ella Fitzgerald (with the Duke Ellington Band)-Take the “A” Train

1st Black artist to win a Grammy.

Otis Redding- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

Discuss how white rock bands would frequently cover and popularize songs by black artists. Otis blew away the other musicians and almost entirely white audience at the festival by performing some covers of rock songs.

Stevie Wonder- Higher Ground

In 1964 he became the 1st Black artist to win Grammy for Album of the year.

Sugar Hill Gang- Rapper’s Delight

In 1979 their song became the first rap hit.

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DonutOwlGaming OP t1_j8rxw7j wrote

Oo

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WolfOfTheRath t1_j8sj1pa wrote

Nina Simone is a good one too, important on straight black history grounds but she actually also has a song off of her live album, Nuff Said, that features a song performed the day after MLK died called 'Why? The King of Love Is dead'

Also if I was going to play a Stevie Wonder song for black history month, I would play the Black history month Stevie Wonder song, 'Black Man'

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WolfOfTheRath t1_j8sj8st wrote

Also, and not to be captain obvious here, but the Billie Holiday song 'Strange Fruit' is literally about lynchings

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WolfOfTheRath t1_j8sjans wrote

Ooooh, you should also play Gil scott-heron's Whitey on the moon

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