The Death of the Black Band

This piece is written from a place of pure nostalgia. Oftentimes when we speak about the past, we tend to overemphasize the positives while downplaying the negative. We do it about the 60s, the Panthers and sometimes, music.

I tend to pick the 1970s as the pinnacle for music. I myself was never there to experience it firsthand, being born in 78', so most of this recollection is based on what I been able to listen to as an adult. But that's not what this is about. Over the past couple decades, we've witnessed the decline in Black musicianship. While alternative and rock bands continue to crop up, littering the airwaves and MTV, we can count the number of Black counterparts on one hand.

Our musical history is rich and filled with many great Black musicians. From Duke Ellington to Robert Johnson to the greats of jazz, there have been hundreds of great guitar players, drummers and instrumentalists who were Black. In the 60s, the 'Motown Sound' was a product of the innovative Funk Brothers, who created most of the rhythms that created the canvass for the early Motown artists to paint their masterpieces. This continues well into the 70s with Parliament, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire to name a few. Huge funk parades, with unbelievable horn sections were easily translated into great live shows. Back then, even those who weren't lead singers who given the spotlight to shine. Bootsy Collins, Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire), and Fred Wesley became household names in their own right.

Call it the evolution of music, but with the ability to recreate all instruments in the studio, is there a need for live musicians except for the tour? Thankfully what we call neo-Soul is still dependent on actual musicians and their shows rarely miss a beat live. Ironically, if there would be an emergence of all-Black band, I doubt they would be embraced. My generation and those after me tend to equate guitars (electric, that is) with strictly rock n roll and to us, that means "white". The rise of the DJ and Hip Hop have done a lot to change the view on instruments. Even R&B suffered from this obsession with slick, hip hop-type beats as opposed to the methodical sound of instruments. Plus, like I stated, any instrument can be created by the engineer, which saves money and the trouble of dealing with a multitude of musicians.

Could it also be related to the Black church? In the past, many Black musicians cut their teeth playing in their churches where they were given time to perfect their craft. It is clear that this isn't quite the case anymore. I could be wrong, but besides the Roots, I haven't seen a band with all the elements of the past groups. With music programs almost non-existent in inner city schools (or most public schools for that matter), there doesn't seem to be any chance in reversing this trend. Unfortunate it is, as a major part of our musical history is being lost.