At the end of the transformative 1970s, President Jimmy Carter honored Black musicians’ significant contributions to American music by designating June “Black Music Month.” It wouldn’t be enshrined with an official proclamation until 2000, and Black Music Month has garnered more attention recently amid ongoing racial reckoning in this country. Universal Production Music is proud to shine a light on the conversation.

We set out to feature Black artists in our music catalogue and produce authentic music that reflects the world around us. Putting together a dream team of Black producers, artists, songwriters, and engineers, we created the incredible “Power to the People” album series.

Music shapes culture, and our Power to the People series ensures Black artists are included at the table on all media fronts. Tracks from this four-album series have been used by major TV networks, Triple-A gaming studios, political campaigns and major sports leagues. Register to access a library of high quality tracks and make it a goal to platform Black talent in your next project.

Including Black artists should never be an afterthought. It’s Black culture, after all, that’s built several quintessentially American music genres. As you discover the right sound for your next production, check out some highlights from the long legacy Black Music Month celebrates:

 

Rooted in Rock

No genre is more infused with Black history and experience than Rhythm and Blues, the basis for Rock n’ Roll. Although musicologists generally date the rise of the Blues between the 1860s and 1890s, after the Emancipation Act that freed American slaves, the genre’s roots come not only from slavery, but from older West African traditions.

In the early twentieth century, musicians like W.C. Handy became household names with their compositions and now widely available recordings. While the genre is closely associated with the rural Mississippi Delta, Black people brought it with them to urban hubs as they sought opportunity in northern cities, spawning an urban Blues movement primarily headed by female superstars like Mamie Smith, Ida Cox and Gertrude "Ma" Rainey.

Rock n’ Roll is an evolution of the Blues, incorporating its rhythms and call-and-response singing. The very name comes from Black slang for sex, and Black radio DJs heralded the fun, distinct sound of early groups like The Dominoes and The Spaniels.

White artist Elvis Presley became the face of the genre for suburban Americans, especially teens. His success recontextualized the work of Black singers like Fats Domino, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry who might have once been pigeon-holed as only appealing to Black audiences before the Elvis explosion.

The blues continue to thrum throughout many kinds of music. If your next project needs to tap into this energy, check out our Blues playlist to find the song that works for you.

 

Scoring the American soundtrack since the beginning

While much Rock n’ Roll commercial success has been claimed by White faces over the years, audiences are only somewhat aware of its Black roots. The same might not be said of Americana, Folk, and Country music, which is often associated with rural White culture more so than the Blues.

The truth is that Black artists have also been creating Folk and Country music this whole time. The banjo itself is adapted from West African lute-gourd instruments that enslaved people managed to keep with them through the harrowing Middle Passage. Black musicians have also been playing the fiddle since at least the 1690s. Enslaved musicians were the primary entertainers of many White parties, and while they mastered European songs for their enslavers, they added their own flavor to Folk music. It was Black musicians who first combined the fiddle and banjo into a distinct Bluegrass ensemble.

As radio and television popularized Bluegrass and Country music to Americans outside of the rural South in the 1920s-50s, most recording sessions were racially integrated. The White “father of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe learned from Black Blues guitarist Arnold Shultz, and one of the founding members of the Grand Ole Opry was Black harmonica player DeFord Bailey. Explore music produced by Black artists with Universal Production Music’s varied playlists.

 

Pulse on the culture – Electronica and Dance music

Though so much of Black musicians’ impact is seen in acoustic, folksy tradition in Blues and Country, it’s also Black artists we must thank for modern Electronica and Dance music. Disco and its more relevant descendant, House music, become popular at underground Black and Queer parties in the 1970s and 80s. DJ Frankie Knuckles, the “Godfather of House,” was a Bronx native who spun Dance music at clubs and gay bathhouses in New York City before cementing the House genre with his legendary disco tape edits at The Warehouse in Chicago.

Black DJs furthered the genre with synthesizers, samplers, vocals, and other mix-in effects. House is a resilient and diverse genre, continuing a long history of Black artists pushing music forward from marginalized spaces.

If you’re looking to capture this spirit in your next media project, listen to past playlists empowering Black artists and ignite your passion. Choose from a variety of flexible media licensing options to suit your project’s needs and budget.