It’s a couple of days in and I must admit that I haven’t been on my job as it relates to the month of June. Since 1979 June has been recognized in this country as Black Music Month. I wanted to do something this year where we expand the knowledge base of the music and not just focus on a narrow definition of what Black Music is or is not and also not limit our discussion to the last forty years or so.
The plan is to post a conversation starter or something to share daily. We utilize the #BMM14 hashtag for Black Music Month 2014 so that the stream may be followed around these internet streets.
Today I wanted start with a song that was actually #1 this week seventy years ago on the precursor to the Billboard R&B chart which was the Harlem Hit Parade.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
