Racial Repertoires among Blues Performers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2603965 |
|---|---|
| Authors | William R Ferris (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1970 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 439 |
| Publication date | 1970-09-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethnomusicology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0014-1836 • E-ISSN: 2156-7417 |
| Publisher | University of Illinois Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2307/850612 |
| OpenAlex | W2327248546 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
n important aspect of the blues performance which has received little scholarly attention is the racial repertoire. These repertoires function where certain blues are considered inappropriate for white audiences because they contain obscenity and racial protest. While undertaking field research in Mississippi, I found that black singers who perform regularly for local Whites develop a repertoire designed to satisfy the taste of Whites which is markedly different in both style and content from that used for black audiences. Though this phenomenon has not been studied by blues scholars, some earlier statements touch on aspects of racial repertoires of music. Johnson and Odum (1964) noted that Blacks have a dual personality through which they are able to deal effectively with Whites and Blacks. They accurately termed this polarization of personality a survival mechanism which enables the black man to be honest with his own race while satisfying the stereotyped Whites who expect him to follow
Art · Art history · Blues · Diverse Music Education Insights · Music History and Culture · Psychology · Theater, Performance, and Music History
| Citations per year | 0.06 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1972 - 2021 (50) |
| Highly cited | No |