African American impact on American music is immense. Without African American music there would be no American music. This page will not do the glory of sharing every detail of African American impact, for that would be impossible. However, I will try to summarize the origins, history, and impact of African American music that still to this day affect American music. John King a doctor in philosophy and music at the University of Oregon described in a list that the origins of Jazz/ Ragtime came from ¨The Juba (a dance), the proximity of New Orleans to the Caribbean, Marie Laveau's congo square for blacks to congregate in large numbers, gig opportunities ranging from saloons to Black Vaudeville, New Orleans Storyville where light-skinned and dark-skinned Afro Americans could share a band, The wake of African American, musicians such as Scott Joplin who could get a college education, And the indomitable spirit of black hope.¨

African American music as we know it today began in west Africa as religious/cultural dances, songs, and folklore. When the West Africans were transported to the Americas, they brought those rhythms and dances along with them. In English America, African dances were banned and not allowed to commence, doing so could have gotten you severely punished or killed. But in French and Spanish America, these dances were allowed to occur and when Louisiana was handed over to the United States, the cultural hub full of dance and song was allowed to continue the tradition of singing and dancing. This is the beginning of Congo Square. A place where African beats and songs could be played. The beginning of African American music in the United States began with Caribbean beats that were brought into Louisiana from the Caribbean ( Langston Hughes).

But when the White Americans saw slaves play their music they mocked them. This was the beginning of the minstrel. John King Described this as, ¨Minstrelsy, Blackface arose around the 1820s-1840s and it was a nationwide sensation. During that time, in the south, Africans were enslaved. Minstrelsy was just another form of hostility, yet again seeking to exploit already beat down African Americans in venues that even they couldn't attend. Minstrelsy never affected African American values nor was it an outgrowth of the African American community. It is not a direct contributing factor to African American genres. Perhaps, the Cake Walk, an African American dance the mocha the so-called genteel white southerner could be construed as a response. But no African American response could be too pointed. African Americans could be killed without recompense. Furthermore, the success of minstrelsy set the stage for Black vaudeville which was a vehicle for African American expression Due to the minstrel legacy some of the Black actors wore black faces while later it was a vehicle for the African American community to comment on the white communities derogatory impression of them, it's hard to imagine those racist tropes influencing African Americans to put on black face¨ The creation of Black vaudeville which came out of minstrels was a stepping stone in the Black musical legacy. It allowed African Americans to be more educated in media and once they put banjo music with those Caribbean rhythms on the piano they created Ragtime.

The music of African Americans like Scott Joplin, and Tom Turpin created the Ragtime era which was full of rhythm, and soul. Musical pieces like “The Maple Leaf Rag¨, ¨The entertainer¨, ¨Harlem Rag¨, and ¨The Great Scott Rag¨, were the biggest hits in late 19th century America. Now this music was starting to sound like Jazz, but the racial stereotype that still ensues to modern-day led to African American music being exploited and White and dismally even some African Americans and made musical pieces that sadly became popular and were full of racial epithets and racist stereotypes with songs like ¨ All Coons Look Alike to Me¨. ¨Jump Jim Crow¨ and some went as far as to reference the KKK like in ¨ Koon Town Kaffee Klatsch¨. Even with the oppression against Ragtime, the Ragtime era which was full of amazing musical numbers, despite oppression and mocking was able to emerge into Jazz. This was one of the biggest influences on American music.

Starting with Jelly Roll Morton and improvised by Louis Armstrong and continued by Duke Ellington, Jazz was the first time African American music was truly able to influence American and world music. Jazz and Ragtime although similar and only 15 years apart ( The same difference between now and 2007), shone differently Jazz was brighter, and Ragtime was dimmer. But Ragtime was the first time one could say African American music was professionalized and able to be read on paper, but Jazz was the first time the profession was accepted. This new music influenced American music by introducing crooning and big band genres of Jazz White and Black musicians played together during this era (Lincoln Jazz Center). Frank Sinatra left many still popular songs as did Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole Benny Goodman, And Glenn Miller. This mixture of Black and White musicians was influential to both musical creations and ending racial segregation. R&B came after jazz during the 50s but not as we know it says John King ¨ The Elvises would then throw a new label on their ¨new¨ genre R&B which they called Rock & Roll¨ Rock and roll is Another Extremely influential part of American pop-cultural music that originates from African American Music. This led to classic rock, then funk, and hip hop etc… to where we are now John King also tells us that, ¨Even though it may seem wrong that R&B became Rock in the 50s and House became Techno, etc these name differences were not done specifically for racist reasons but rather happened as an effect of racism from before and were done to appeal to audiences and get more pay on the record label¨. In today's day and age, we must recognize that African American styles of music like Rap are music and saying it is not would be contributing to the racism and anti-black culture that was prominent during the days of minstrels. Once we recognize that the beauty of American music originated from both European and African American music we can truly appreciate the beauty and wonder of Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B, and Rock.