Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; Jimmy Crack Corn; Frankie and Johnny; String of Pearls; Blue Moon; Jingle Bell Rock; and Dirty Pop: none of these songs would be here today without influence from African-American culture.
             Some people have a hard time listening to "black music," meaning Jazz, Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop but using the same logistics, you would have to put Rock, Pop, many church hymns, and much of choral literature in the same category. For the most part people do not understand the origins of the many types of music we hear around us every day. Unless your high school music teacher found this type of appreciation necessary, or you happened to take some music courses in college, chances are you're a part of the "most people." To understand and fully appreciate the music you enjoy today, you must first understand that while African-American slave songs were a prominent part of pre-Civil War culture, they have also had great influence on modern culture.
             In order to further understand African-American music, you must first know a certain amount of information about African music and culture. Music was and is a very important part of African culture. Much of African music was used as a way to document history. Because they did not have a written language, history was told through stories and in traditional folk songs. Music was also used in celebration of anything you can possibly think of. There were traditional songs to celebrate weddings, births, and even the loss of a baby tooth. In response to his own findings, Ralph Ellison wrote "[I]t was the African's origin in cultures in which art was highly functional which gave him an edge in shaping the music and dance of this nation. (Collier 1)" African speech added to the use of music. Much like changing the tone of your voice can add a new meaning to a sentence, changing the pitch or quality of your voice changes the meaning of most Af...